End of Days
by Sergeant Phoenix
Summary: chapter 13--The Split Up. If I don't start getting reviews for this or at least some encouragement, I'm dumping this story. If you like it, let me know one way or another. My aol and ICQ are on my profile.
1. Findings

Title: **End of Days Chapter 1**  
Author: [Sergeant Phoenix][1]  


* * *

  
Phoenixcadet here with a new story. This has nothing to do with the movie End of Days, in case anyone wanted to know. I just liked the title and it fit my story. I have to give some credit to the books Wizard's First Rule, Stone of Tears, and Blood of the Fold by Terry Goodkind for inspiring me to write this. If you haven't read them, go find them. I kind of plagerized on some stuff, but who doesn't? This chapter has extremely little dialogue. Anyway, here's the story. 

Phoenixcadet 

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End of Days Chapter 1-Findings 

Zell walked down the main hall of Balamb Garden, heading toward the library. He had to find something to do, since the training center was closed because of a blackout that had occured the night before. The wiring needed to be fixed and the center wouldn't be open for another week at the least. He saw Irvine and Selphie coming out of the dorms and they ran to catch up with him. 

"Hey, wait up!!!" Selphie yelled to Irvine, who was far ahead of her. Zell stopped and waited for them both to catch up with him. Irvine came to a halt right in front of him and looked back at Selphie. She finally caught up and slapped Irvine in the back of the head, knocking his hat to the floor. 

"Hey, that's my new hat," he complained, bending down to pick it up. He placed it neatly back on his head and adjusted it to his liking. 

"I told you to wait, you mean thing," Selphie said, putting her hands on her hips and sticking her tongue out at him. She turned to Zell, who stood leaning against the glass railing with one leg crossed, only the toe of his shoe touching the floor. "Where're you going, Zell...? The training center's closed, *remember*...?" 

"I know that, Selphie," he said, annoyed. "I'm not stupid. I'm going to the library to find something to read, now that the faculty doesn't control the library anymore, thanks be to God." 

"Me an' Selphie were going to the quad to practice for the upcoming Garden Winter Festival she invented," Irvine explained, waving his hand toward the entrance to the quad. "We just thought you'd want to come with us." 

"I have no desire to tapdance again. Besides, I already told you I'm going to the library," Zell replied. Irvine shrugged. 

"Suit yourself. C'mon, Selphie. Let's go," he said and tipped his hat to Zell. "See you later." Zell said goodbye to them and continued on his way to the library, his fingers fondling the necklace that usually stayed hidden inside his shirt. It looked like the necklace would belong to a girl, had it not had a burlap strap instead of a chain. The charm was a small tear-shaped stone embedded inside a plain silver oval backing. The stone was deep red in color, the color of human blood. 

He entered the library and looked around at all the shelves. They were huge and there were many of them. 

(Where do I start....?) he wondered to himself. He walked down the rows looking up and down the shelves for anything that might spark his interest. He liked to read when he didn't feel like being around anyone. He worked his way to the very back of the room, looking for something to read. He bumped up against the very back shelf, knocking a book to the floor. As it hit the floor, Zell heard a hollow sound. He arched an eyebrow. He took a book from the shelf and dropped it to the floor. Flat sound. 

He knelt down and picked up the books from the floor, putting them back in their places. He then knelt back down and touched the ceramic tile the book had fallen on. It moved slightly. It was a loose tile. He took out his pocket knife and inserted it in the space between the tiles. He pried the large tile up off the floor. Under it was a hole with a ladder leading down. He looked around to see if he had been seen. He hadn't. He climbed down inside the hole, standing on the ladder. He picked up the tile and held it over his head as he descended down the ladder with only his feet guiding him. He pulled the tile back into it's place behind him. He fixed it back into it's place until he was sure no one would be any the wiser about what was underneath it. 

Zell grabbed a hold of the ladder with both hands, climbing down. The room he descended to was completely dark. He couldn't see anything. He reached in his back pocket and pulled out a small flashlight. He turned it on and the small burst of light that came from it seemed to illuminate the room. Skimming the light across the room, he came to a stop on a candle holder. He shone the light in front of his feet so he could see what he was stepping on. 

Zell walked toward it, wary of his surroundings. He had never known that this room existed nor if anyone else knew that it existed. (There could be anything down here,) he decided silently. (Better stay on my toes.) 

He reached the large candle holder and cast fire over it. He controlled the flame so that it would only light the seven candles. Wax hung stiffly from the brass base, showing that the same candles had been used and not taken out. Zell held it out in front of him and walked around the room, lighting the stationary torches on the walls. 

Light flooded the large room. It was like a smaller version of the library he was just in. It could not have been smaller by much, though. But there were so many books. They lie strown on the floor in heaps and piles all over. The room had been all but torn apart. 

As he looked around at the books, he noticed that all the titles were in a language he knew little of: High Centauran. The language of ancient Centra. Actually, no one knew more than a few words of the dialect, if in fact they knew anything at all. The language had virtually disappeared from the face of the planet. 

(Why would anybody close this room up....?) 

He walked down an aisle toward the back of the room, careful not to let the candles get too close to the bookcases. The cases were very close together, not allowing for much breathing room. 

Zell hated closed spaces. He hated that feeling of not being able to breathe, that the walls were closing in on him. Not that he was claustrophobic, he would never admit to that, but he didn't like spaces as tight as the one he was in now. He took a deep breath and continued down the aisle with the candles lighting his way. At the end of the aisle was a slanted wooden desk. He looked around. It was a study. 

(I gotta tell Squall about this place....) he thought. He walked back down another aisle and tripped over something. He held the candleholder up above his head as he fell, not letting it touch the bookcases that were so close to him. He got up on his knees and looked back. There was nothing there that he could have tripped over. (There's got to be something there,) he thought to himself. (I couldn't have tripped over nothing....) 

His eyes drifted to the bottom of the bookcase to his right. There were no books there. He looked down the rest of the aisle. This was the only shelf without any books. He reached out and touched the bottom of the shelf. The board was loose. He took his fingers and pried it up, taking it out. He set it aside on the floor next to the candle holder. He looked down into the space. 

Inside it was a midsized leatherbound book that was covered in dust. He brushed it off the best he could and blew off the rest. The book looked no different than any of the other books in the room he had seen. But there had to be something about it if it had been hidden. 

He read the title. "Dek Selta rin dek Chaillu ost Diurnas," he said. "The 'blank, *blank*' the 'blank, blank' of 'blank'." He knew very few words of the language, even if he only knew simple words like 'the' and 'of'. 

Zell opened up the book carefully, and turned the pages even more so. They were yellow and brittle, liable to break apart at the slightest wrong touch. The words on the page were in extremely large print. He turned the pages until finally he came across a picture that accompanied the print on the adjacent page. 

It was a crude drawing of a crowd of people. They seemed to be bowing. The subject of their submission was one who stood alone in front of them. From the way it was drawn Zell could tell that it was a man. Up above them, on both sides of the page, was the sun and the moon, both with faces, and both crying. 

Under the picture, this time in small print, were words. 

"Dest alinon millen stragenichas, un strageniches sast ti del," he read aloud. He recognized the first word as 'for' and he recognized 'un' as 'one'. 'Ti' was 'be'. He knew nothing else. 

He shut the book carefully and picked up the candle holder. He held the book to him as he went around blowing out all the candles on the walls he had lit, working his way to the beginning of the room to the ladder. When he reached the ladder, he blew out all the candles on the candle holder. He set it down on the floor and started up the ladder with one hand, the book to his chest. 

Zell reached the top and stopped. He listened closely to see if anyone was up there. When he was satisfied, he pushed the tile up off the floor. He looked around. No one was there to see him. He climbed out of the hole and put the tile back in its place. 

Now he only had to get out of the library without being seen. He crept up the aisle. He saw his friend Chris at a nearby table, reading. 

"Chris," he whispered, looking around warily. The black haired boy looked over at him. He was Zell's age, only slightly taller. To Zell, it seemed like everyone was taller than him, even if only by a few inches. Zell motioned for him to come to him inside the aisle. 

Chris got up and walked over to him. Zell pulled him inside the aisle. "What is that, man...?" Chris asked, touching the book. 

"I don't know," Zell replied quietly. "I found it. I'll explain it all to you later, alright? Right now, I need to get out of the library with it so I can take it to Squall. Look at this," he said, holding the front of the book up. "It's High Centauran. And there's a lot more where this came from. There's a secret room underneath this library, Chris. There's hundreds of books in High Centauran down there. I need a diversion whilest I get outta here with this book. It was hidden down there underneath a bookcase. Think about it. A hidden book inside a hidden room? That just screams importance, don't you think?" 

"How about I go to the other side of the back of the room and knock a bunch of books on the floor at once? That'll get the librarian's attention," he said. "Meanwhile, you can get out. But, you gotta show me that secret room, man. You gotta." 

"I will," Zell answered. "Go knock over those books and let me get outta here." 

Chris disappeared down at the end of the aisle and a few seconds later he heard a pile of books hit the floor. Zell watched through the shelves as the librarian's head snapped up and looked toward the back of the room. 

"What's going on back there?" she hollered. When she recieved no response, she rounded her desk and walked down the aisle on the far side of the room. Zell looked at the entrance to the library. 

(Fifty feet,) he estimated. 

"Go!!!" he heard Chris whisper from behind him at the end of the aisle. Zell took off, sprinting the distance to the double doors almost silently. A few students looked up at him as he ran past. None of them said anything. There was no telling what Zell was up to and they didn't want to know. 

Zell exited the library. 

He was free. 

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Chapter 2 is next. Hopefully I'll have it up soon. I know kind of where to go with this, but I'm not sure on a lot of things. Don't expect anything too soon. And before anyone asks, as far as I know now, no one will die. That's all I can tell you. 

Phoenixcadet 

   [1]: http://www.fanfiction.net/master.cfm?action=Directory-AuthorProfile&UserID=7475



	2. Visions of Past and Future

Chapter 2-Visions of Past and Future 

Zell ran down the dormatory hallway with the book to his chest. He came to his dorm and opened the door. He went in and shut the door behind him. Lying the book down on the bed, he picked up the phone and dialed Squall's number. He listened to it ring several times and finally hung up. (Shoulda known he wouldn't be there.....Where else could he be?) 

(The quad.....!!!) 

He locked his door and sped down the hallway once more, this time without the book. He had thought it safer to leave it where no one could see it, than taking it out into the open. 

________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Squall watched Irvine as he climbed up the ladder holding the banner that Selphie, Rinoa, and Quistis had made. Quistis stood at the base of the ladder, holding it steady while he pinned the banner to the wall. She shook the ladder slightly. Irvine let the banner drop and clung to the ladder frantically with both arms. 

"I will murder you, Quistis, if you make me fall from here!!!!!" he screamed. Squall grinned and chuckled to himself. 

He looked to the doorway of the quad to see Zell running full speed toward him. He flew down the steps like they weren't even there and came to a stop in front of Squall. 

He panted, trying to catch his breath. Squall took him by his shoulders. 

"Are you okay....? What's going on?" he asked. Zell looked up at him. 

"You gotta come see what I found in the library. It's....it's....God, just come on," he said urgently, pointing back the way he came. Squall let go of his shoulders and sighed. 

"What did you find?" he asked. With Zell, he knew it could be anything. He got excited and panicked about the most trivial of things. 

"I cain't tell you out here, man. Just trust me, alright? This is big." 

"What's going on?" Rinoa called to them from next to the ladder. She stood up and walked over to where Squall stood with Zell. 

"Zell says he found something in the library that I need to go look at. You can't tell me what it is now?" he said, averting his attention back to Zell. Zell put his hand on his forehead. 

"No!" he said and lowered his voice. "Alright, look. I found a book that was hidden in one of the shelves." 

"A book? Hidden in the shelves?" Squall said skeptically. "And you conveniently just ran across it, looking for something to read, right?" 

Zell nearly doubled over in excitement. "*Yes*!!! And that's not all I found, either. I can't tell you where I found it in the library. You wouldn't believe me." He looked at their faces. "Something tells me you don't believe me now. And you won't believe me until you come to my room and look at the book for yourself. I swear, Squall, I ain't playin'!!" 

(I haven't ever seen him this worked up over anything before,) Squall thought. "Alright, I'll come and take a look." 

"*Thank* you. I'll tell you about what else I found when we get there." 

"What else did you find? Another book?" Rinoa asked him. 

"No, the other thing I found is in the library." 

"Well, why didn't you take it out?" Squall asked. 

"It was too big to take out!! Just come on, Squall. Come to my room." 

________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

"You definitely found something, Zell," Squall said, holding up the book. He opened it carefully. "This is very, very old. And in High Centauran? Where did you get this?" 

Zell stepped closer to him. "There's a secret room underneath the library, man. The entrance is underneath a loose tile in the very back of the room in the corner. I climbed down there and there's gotta be hundreds of books in High Centauran down there!!!! I tripped in one of the aisles and there was a loose board in the bottom of one of the shelves. I opened it up and this book was inside." 

Squall traced his fingers over the cover of the book, stopping at a tearshaped indention in the leatherwork. 

"Show me the room, Zell," Squall said, shutting the book. 

"I'll show you, but we gotta be careful. I don't know if anybody else knows about this," Zell said, opening his closet door. He squatted down and pulled out a large flashlight out of a box in the back of the closet. "We'll need this. There's no electricity down there. I had to use candles." Zell plucked a backpack from a hook on the inside of his closet door. He inserted the flashlight and the book, then flung it over his shoulder after zipping it up. 

"Let's get to it, then, Zell. I wanna see this." 

________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Zell descended once more into the darkness. When he reached the bottom, he took out the flashlight and turned it on. "This sure beats candles," he said, shining it around the room. Squall stepped off the ladder and looked around. 

"You *did* find something," he said. He stepped away from the ladder and followed Zell down one of the aisles. He knelt down at the end of the aisle and pointed to the bottom shelf. 

"That's where I found the book," Zell said. He picked up the board that he had left out and fitted it back into its place. "This is how it was. I came down the aisle and tripped over God-knows-what, cause I sure don't. I mean, I looked back to see what I tripped over and there wasn't nothin' there for me to trip on. Weird." 

"Let me see that book again," Squall told him. Zell stood up and opened the pack, taking out the book. He held it out in front of him, handing it to Squall. He took it and Zell shined the light on the cover. 

"See? I know a few words in the title, but not the important ones. 'Dek Selta rin dek Chaillu ost Diurnas'. I know 'dek' is 'the' and 'ost' is 'of'. I don't know what the others are," Zell said, shrugging. "I was hoping you knew more than me." 

"I do. 'Selta' means 'book'. 'Rin' is 'to'. So the title is...." 

"The Book to the 'Chaillu' of 'Diurnas'. 'Chaillu' and 'diurnas'.....Whaddaya think they could mean, Squall?" Zell asked, cocking his head to the side. Squall looked at him. 

"I don't know, Zell. I don't know. But, this book...it was hidden for a reason. I've got a bad feeling...." 

"Me, too," Zell admitted. "Oh! One more thing. Here, hold the flashlight." He handed Squall the flashlight and Squall handed him the book. "Take a look at this. It's a drawing that I found when I was flipping through the book. It's got words underneath it. I don't know what they say." Zell turned the pages delicately, finally stopping near the middle of the book. He held the image under the light and Squall looked down at it. 

"'Dest alinon millen stragenichas, un strageniches sast ti del'," he read aloud. "'Dest' is 'for'." 

"I know that one. 'Un' is 'one' and 'ti' is 'be'. You know anything else?" Zell asked him. 

"I know that I don't like this picture. Or this book. The Book to the 'Chaillu' of 'Diurnas'. I don't know what that means, but I don't like it," Squall stated. He didn't like anything about the room he was in. Not a thing. 

"Maybe Quistis would know some more....?" Zell pondered. Squall looked up from the picture. 

"Maybe. I don't know. But we're going to have to transfer the information in this book to something else. This book is *very* old. We don't need the pages crumbling away," Squall said. 

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On the other side of the world, in Galbadia Garden.... 

Students were lifted into the air and hurled into the walls as they desperately tried to call each of their Guardian Forces without success. One stood alone in the middle of the main hall, a man in a black robe. He had long blonde hair, almost white and a ring around his right ring finger. He could not have been older than twenty years, although his nearly white hair betrayed his facial features. 

The ring he beared was a silver ring with a crescent moon rising up from the side of it. In the middle, was an oval, royal blue colored stone. 

Cold black lightning shot forth from him, flowing through the bodies of the students who resisted him. Behind him was a small band of students who had allied themselves with him, choosing to take their chances at his side than in his path. 

"Get out!!" he yelled to the students he had pinned to the wall. He let them drop to the floor. The ones that didn't convulse in the floor in pain got up and staggered for the door. One struggled to stand and continued to try and call magic forth to protect himself and his companions. "Down!" He pointed at the boy, sending this time, white hot lightning through the boy's body, leaving him to writhe on the tile floor. 

"I warned you all. I gave you fair warning, all of you. Fools, why didn't you listen to me?" he asked. One of the boys behind him stepped up. 

"They were ignorant, Master Danda. They did not see you for what you were," he said, and bowed, backing away with his arms outstretched. 

"Yes, you speak truth, Michael. Are they all gone? I want everyone who is not loyal to me, out of this place. Do you understand?" 

"Yes, Master Danda," they all replied in union. They watched him intently, waiting for him to speak again. 

"Now!" 

________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

"You think you can help, Quistis?" Zell asked her, having explained their predicament. They were all in Squall's room then, Selphie, Rinoa, and Irvine sitting down on the small couch that came with his larger room. Zell stood next to Squall, holding the book out in front of him, the tear-shaped indention facing Quistis. 

"I don't know. 'Chaillu' means 'end'. I don't know what 'diurnas' could mean," Quistis replied, her hand playing with the handle of the whip she kept on her belt. "'Diurnas'.....There's something about that word." 

Irvine's eyes suddenly lit up. 

"Hey, doesn't nocturnal mean 'active at night'?" Irvine asked. "So....what's the opposite of that?" 

"Active during the daytime," Rinoa answered. "The word for that is...." 

"Diurnal!!" Selphie shouted. "You think that could be related to 'diurnas'?" 

"Now, we're getting somewhere," Quistis said. "I knew that I'd heard that before. 'Diurnas' means 'days'." 

"So, the title of the book it 'The Book to the End of....Days'...? 'The Book to the End of Days'?" Zell said aloud. "What could that mean?" 

"It's a riddle, I suppose. Or it could mean just what it says: a book to the end of the world. Or to the last day, meaning the world will be engulfed in darkness for the rest of time," Squall said, his hand on his chin thoughtfully. "I don't know. But, what I'm concerned about is this," he said, taking the book from Zell and opening it to the page with the picture. 

He held it out for all of them to see. "See, you guys?" Zell said, pointing at the words underneath. "I know a few words in the phrase underneath, but only three. 'Dest', 'un', and 'ti'. 'For', 'one', and 'be'." 

"'Dest alinon millen stragenichas, un strageniches sast ti del.' 'Sast' is 'shall'," Rinoa said. 

"This is some old stuff," Irvine said. "I can't believe you guys know any of it. The Centra civilization existed-what?-four millenia ago?" 

"What did you say?" Quistis said. 

"I said the Centra civilization existed four millenia ago." 

"Look. This word," she said, placing her finger over 'millen'. "A millenium occurs every 1,000 years, right?" Quistis asked them. They all nodded. 

"This could have something to do with 'thousand'. It's just a hunch, but I'm pretty sure that's what it is. 'Thousand'." 

"So, 'for alinon thousand stragenichas, one strageniches shall be del'. 'Alinon' could be anything'," Zell said. 

"Or 'every'," Selphie said. "I mean, it makes sense, don't you think? 'For every thousand stragenichas, one strageniches shall be del'? That sounds like it might be it. I don't know about 'stragenichas', though. Or 'del'. *Those* could be anything." 

"Let's take the book to Headmaster Cid and Edea. If anybody'll know anything, it'll be them," Zell said, looking at Squall. He shrugged his shoulders. "Just an idea." 

"It's a good idea," Squall admitted. "We can go now, if everybody's ready." 

They all nodded. 

________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Inside the Ragnarok.... 

Zell sat in the bunk, copying down the contents of the book onto a sheet of paper. The others were up in the cockpit, talking about the book while he copied. 

He had copied the piece under the picture first, and then began working his way toward the back of the book. He turned the page forward one and read another paragraph. His fingers played with his necklace once again, running his fingers over the dark red stone encased in the silver. 

'Hist dek un girt dek Quillion ost sil dranon rin sinan, a war begins in the garden of good and evil. The time will come when hope is lost and faith a distant memory. The Lion will fall, as will the Angel, for no one may oppose the one who holds the Stone.' 

Zell's eyes widened. (I....I *read* that...understood it...this isn't possible,) he thought. He noticed his hand was warm. He looked down at the necklace. It glowed bright red beneath his fingers. He stared at it in his hand. 

"What is this...?" he said and turned back to the book. He read again, to himself, the same passage. 

'When the one with the stone of blue ascends to power, a war....' 

The words faded away and he no longer saw the book before his eyes. He saw Galbadia Garden. He was pulled into the scene, as if he was there. But, he wasn't. He knew he wasn't in Galbadia. He was in the bunks of the Ragnarok, reading the Book. 

He was swept forward, and he saw a man in the center of Galbadia Garden's main hall. He seemed so young, yet his hair showed different. He wore a black robe with the hood pulled back, his hands by his sides. He noticed a silver ring on one of his hands that had a deep blue stone set in it. His face was neutral as he lifted his hands and Zell no longer saw just the man. He saw bodies being lifted from the ground and pressed into the walls. He saw black lightning shoot through the bodies of his fellow Garden students. He felt its cold and it made him shiver. He knew, in his mind, that this had already happened. 

His mind swept forward again, and this time he saw Squall and his friends on the ground, not moving. They were spread out Selphie was sprawled on the floor, nunchaku still in her hands, rasping in each breath. Her orange outfit was torn up the side, blood and bruises covering her legs. 

Irvine lay at her feet, his shotgun lying inches from his hand, his fingers stretching for it without success. His face winced in anguish as he realized he could not reach it, that it was too far and he too weak to move further forward. 

Rinoa sat on the floor close to where Squall lay, staring at the man that had did this to them. She could only look at him; that was all she had strength to do. 

Quistis lay on her stomach on the cold tile, her mouth open slightly. She breathed lightly, her eyes open in tiny slits. 

Zell did not see his own body. 

(Where am *I*...?) 

The man pointed at Squall and lifted him from the floor where he lay, an invisible force holding him by the neck. Rinoa screamed as her lover was lifted into the air. His shirt was no longer pure white, but black as well. The collar of Squall's jacket was speckled red, the sleeves torn, blood dripping from his fingers. His face was ashen, blood running from his lips as he was brought closer to the one in black. 

Zell saw the man tell him something, but could not hear. Squall's eyes lit up with rage and he screamed something. The man lifted Squall higher into the air, threw him against the wall and Squall fell once again, to the floor, next to Rinoa. She crawled to him and collapsed at his side. He opened his arms weakly, allowing her inside, and they embraced. 

Zell's vision swept up above the man and the motionless bodies of his friends and he was carried away, the room he had been in being pulled from him into a black void. A wail of horror escaped his throat as he was brought back to the Ragnarok. He threw the book to the floor and backed away on the bed, tears running down his cheeks. He knew what he had seen. He had seen a vision of something that which had yet to happen. 

He strained his neck back, the back of his head pressed against the wall. "No, no, no, no, no....." he whispered through gritted teeth. He had seen people die, he had killed before. But never someone he knew, in both cases. It was different to see his friends about to die, with him nowhere in sight. 

He looked up as the door to his bunk slid open, revealing Squall and Rinoa in the doorway. Squall looked at Zell and then down at the floor where the Book lie open on the floor. Rinoa went to the bed and sat down next to Zell. She touched his shoulder, as Squall picked up the Book and lied it on the table. 

"Zell, you're crying....," Rinoa said, trying to hide her surprise. "We heard you scream, what happened...?" 

Zell looked onto the table past Squall. "I don't like that Book," he said, shaking his head slightly. "I don't like that Book." Squall picked it up and opened it. 

"What did you read? Show me what you read," he said, handing the Book to Zell. He took the Book and flipped to the page after the picture. He pointed at the passage. 

"That. I read that and understood what it said. I don't know how, I don't know why, but I read it, understood it," he said, slightly panicked. 

"What do you mean you understood it?" Squall asked. "You mean you read it and translated it?" 

"No, I read it and I understood it immediately," he said. 

"What does it say?" Squall asked him. 

"It says 'When the one with the Stone of blue ascends to power, a war begins within the garden of good and evil. The time will come when all hope is lost and faith is a distant memory. The...Lion will fall, as will the Angel, for none may oppose the one with the Stone.'" Zell swallowed. "The Lion is you, Squall. And Rinoa's the Angel." 

Squall's eyes widened. "H'how do you know that.....? Zell, how do you know that.....?" 

".......I saw it. I saw all of you, when I read it. I didn't see myself, just all of you and a man in a black robe in Galbadia Garden's main hall. He had a silver ring with a blue stone in it with a crescent moon on the side," Zell said. 

"Zell, you saw us die...?" Rinoa asked quietly. 

"No. That's where it ended. I didn't see any of you die," Zell answered her. "But, that was enough. It just looked hopeless, the whole thing. But that's what the passage says. 'The time will come when all hope is lost and faith is a distant memory.' That's what I saw, Squall. I don't know when it's supposed to happen or even *if* it's gonna happen, but it scared the crap outta me. I think my necklace is what helped me see it. It started to glow when I was reading." 

Squall looked down at the red stone encased in silver that hung around his neck on a burlap strap. "Your necklace? How could that stone make you understand High Centauran?" 

"I don't know, but it started to glow when I was reading and it was warm," Zell said truthfully. 

"Can you make it glow again if you start reading again?" Rinoa asked him. 

"I don't know. I don't know if I want to. I don't wanna see anything like that again, you guys. That scared me out of my wits," he said, wiping his cheeks dry. "See? It even got me crying. Can't have that again." 

"We better go and see Edea and Headmaster Cid before he reads anything again, Squall, don't you think? I mean, what if he reads something and something happens? I don't want to do anything else with that Book until we see Edea," Rinoa pleaded with him. He wiped his face. 

"You're right, Rinoa," Squall said. "We'd better go and see what Edea has to say. She'll probably know more about this Book than anyone, seeing as her house is the only one on the Centra continent that anyone knows about." He looked at Zell. "Are you okay.....?" 

"I'm okay....that...vision....just shook me up, is all," Zell answered. He scooted himself off the bed and stood up. He put his hands on the side of his face and smoothed his hair back. He exhaled. "Yeah, I'm okay...." 

"Let's get back up to the cockpit," Squall said, walking past him. "We're almost there." 


	3. Revelations

Okay, here's chapter 3. I changed my pen name from 'phoenixcadet' to 'Sergeant Phoenix'. If you've been to my pitiful little homepage, you can figure out why. I'm also looking for fan art to post up on my site; if anybody's got any, would ya send it my way? I'd put my own up, but I can't afford a scanner. Also, thanks, Tabaqui, for the grammer check. I'm not good enough at grammar to catch those little mistakes and I can't afford a decent writing program for my computer that has the spell/grammar check feature. So, that's my sorry little excuse people. I'll try to do better, though. On with the story!!! 

************************************************************************************************ 

Chapter 3-Revelations 

"The Book to the End of Days......" Edea said, holding the book in her hands. "Do any of you know what this Book is?" She looked around at their faces. "This is a Book of prophecy. A very important Book of prophecy. Sorceress Adel tried to get her hands on this Book for a long time. When I was possessed, Ultimecia would have searched for it had she known it still existed in our time. This is a very important Book indeed." 

Sunlight flooded through the window of the living room of the old orphanage, shining on them all. Selphie, Irvine, and Rinoa sat on the couch near the window, all leaning forward to listen to what their matron and headmaster had to say. 

"Why was the room closed off, Matron?" Selphie asked. 

"Most of the books in that room are books of prophecy. They're not meant for untrained eyes. So, Edea and I sealed it off," Cid said to her. "But, we knew that when the time came, someone would find it. But, not even *we* knew that *this* Book was down there." 

"We knew that someone would find it eventually, but we could only hope that it was someone who knew the importance of these writings. Our hope was fulfilled, it seems," Edea said, looking around at the teenagers before her. 

"Matron, I saw one of the prophecies," Zell said, taking the necklace from his neck and holding it out toward her. She took it from his hand and examined it. 

"You saw a vision of one of the prophecies...?" she said. He nodded. "Show me which one." 

Zell opened the Book and pointed at the passage he had read before. "'When the one with the Stone of blue ascends to power, a war begins in the garden of good and evil. The time will come when all hope is lost and faith is a distant memory. The Lion will fall, as will the Angel, for no one may oppose the one with the Stone.'" 

"You saw this? You saw the true meaning of this prophecy?" Edea asked him urgently. 

"What do you mean 'true meaning'? Are you saying that it's going to happen?" Zell asked her. "I'll tell you what I saw, if you want me to. I saw--" Edea covered his mouth. 

"Hush!! Have you told *them* what you saw?" Edea asked, pointing to his friends behind him. 

"Only Squall and Rinoa. Not the others," he answered. 

"You must speak to no one of what you saw in that vision. Do you understand? If you see anything else, you mustn't speak of it, you must keep it to yourself. Do you understand me?" Zell nodded. "Do any of you know what a self-inflicted prophecy is?" 

They all shook their heads. 

"A self-inflicted prophecy is a prophecy that, if the one mentioned in the prophecy knows of its meaning, the prophecy will occur. We have no way of knowing which prophecies are self-inflicting, so the meanings must be kept from those who cannot see them as they are meant to be passed down," Edea explained to them. Irvine held up his hands. 

"Whoa, you lost me. He can't tell us what he saw in that vision, because if we know of it, it might happen, right?" 

"No," Cid stated. "We don't have any way of knowing if this prophecy will occur if you know of its true meaning. *That's* why it must be kept a secret. Also, we don't know yet if this prophecy is on a true fork or a false fork." 

"True forks and false forks? What the..." Zell said, confused. 

"Forks are the result of all prophecies," Quistis stated, sounding sure of herself. "All lines of prophecies will fork at one point or another. It's like a fork in the road. If we get to a prophecy that can go one way or another, and one fork comes to pass, whichever fork the prophecy takes is called the true fork," Quistis said, moving her hair out of her face. "The other fork is followed as far as possible and every prophecy on that fork is void and marked out as false. *Every* prophecy that comes from the false fork is marked off." 

"That's right, Quistis," Edea said. Irvine massaged his temples. 

"Run that by me again, Quistis, this time in slow motion," he said. 

"Okay, if you get to a fork in the road, you can go one of two or more ways. It's the same with prophecies. Some prophecies can go one way or the other. The way we want and the way we don't want. Like this one," she said, flipping in the Book to the picture. Edea gasped at the words on the page. Quistis looked up. "What, Matron?" 

"That word," she said, pointing at 'stragenichas'. "I know that word very well. It means 'sorceress'. 'Strageniches' means 'sorcerer'." 

"That's bad....right?" Zell asked her. She nodded. 

"I'm afraid this is the prophecy that forks. This is where the prophecy that you read picks up, Zell," Edea said. "'For every thousand sorceresses, one sorcerer will be lifted.' That's what it means. The sorcerer is the one that the Book speaks of as the 'one with the Stone of blue'." She looked on the page before the picture and looked at the passage that was there. "What's bad about this is that the prophecy that speaks of the sorcerer directly follows the prophecy of the defeat of Ultimecia." 

"Whoo-boy....we're in deep doo-doo, aren't we?" Selphie said. Edea looked up from the Book. 

"It would seem so, Selphie. It would seem so." 

________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

They had all stayed the night at Edea's house, letting her and Cid study the Book. They had all slept in the living room, the beds being too small for any of them to sleep on. 

Selphie was stretched out on the couch with Irvine on the floor next to it on a pallet. He groaned and turned over, fighting to stay asleep on the hardwood floor. Squall and Rinoa slept together in front of the fireplace. Quistis had chosen to sleep upright in one of the chairs, no matter how uncomfortable it seemed to the others. 

And Zell? He slept underneath the coffeetable, allowing for a walkway through the room. 

A small boy entered the room and looked around. He was almost 10 years old with black hair and wearing over-alls. He took in a deep breath and nearly doubled over. 

"WAKE UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUPPPPP!!!!!" 

Everyone in the room awoke with a jolt. Irvine lifted his head up to see who was in the doorway. Squall propped himself up on his elbow, reaching for his boots. He picked one up and hurled it toward the doorway. "Get outta here!!!!" 

At the same time, Zell's head rose quickly from his pillow and came into contact with the bottom of the coffeetable. "Owwww.....! Son of a....." he said, placing his hand on the back on his head, lowering his injured skull back to the pillow. Irvine and Selphie pointed and giggled. 

Zell took his face out of the pillow and looked at them, hurt. "Stop it you guys.....What'd I ever do to you....?" he whined, burying his face in the pillow again. 

"Leave him alone, you two," Squall sighed and turned back over to go back to sleep. Edea walked in the door and took the boy by the hand. 

"What've I told you about waking people up like that? I told you to wake them up, not scare them to death," she scolded. 

"I'm sorry, Matron," the boy apologized. "I won't do it again." 

"Don't tell me, tell them," Edea said, pointing in the living room. The boy looked around the room: all eyes were on him. He shuffled his feet. 

"Sorry....Can I go now, Matron?" he pleaded. She pushed him from the doorway. 

"Shoo, get back to the others." She shook her head. "I don't know what I'll do with that boy. [sigh] I read the Book all the way through last night," she said. "I have bad news." 

Squall got up and stretched. He ran his fingers through his hair and exhaled. He went to retrieve his boot from the doorway and looked over his shoulder while he bent down to pick it up. "Everybody up. Let's get started." 

________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

"I found something," Edea said, sitting down at the breakfast table. "It's about that vision you had, Zell." 

"What about it?" he asked, looking up from his plate of bacon and eggs. His eggs were covered in salt, pepper, and ketchup. He wiped the ketchup from the side of his mouth with a paper towel, giving Edea his full attention. He rarely stopped eating for anyone. 

"I've got bad news. That prophecy that you read has to happen," she said. Squall nearly choked on a piece of ham. 

"That has to happen? Why?" he asked, taking a drink of milk. 

"It has to happen to save this world. Like I said, the prophecy that speaks of the sorcerer forks. It can go one of two ways: the prophecy that Zell read or the other fork. You don't want the other fork. You *don't* want the other fork." 

"What does the other fork say?" Quistis asked. 

"The other fork reads 'the one with the blue Stone will bring forth a great darkness to the land, laying waste to all in his path. Salvation's hope shall then be as dim as the light of the sun.' You don't want that fork," Edea said to them. "What follows is misery and hopelessness for the rest of time. The only way for the world to be saved is through the fork Zell had the vision of. There is no other way, for there is no other fork from which to choose. The prophecy does not say that any of you will die, it only says that you will fall, because no one may oppose the sorcerer." 

"So, what you're saying is, we won't die, but we'll get defeated if we go up against him, right, Matron?" Irvine said, propping his elbow up on the table. 

"Exactly-get your elbow of my table-but there is no other way, the Book makes this much clear. Almost every prophecy after this is a fork. In order to prevent the prophecy I just read to you, we must take the correct fork on all the prophecies hereafter. We can make no mistakes." 

"You mean even after what happens in Zell's vision happens, we can still screw up and make the other fork true?" Rinoa asked her. 

"Again, yes. If any of these events do not take place, we will be swallowed into a darkness not even Ultimecia could rival, if she had lived to be a thousand. This fork connects to the other one in more than one place, so if we make an incorrect decision, the other fork can still be made true, no matter how far along we are on this fork. For some reason, that necklace Zell wears let him see the true meaning of the prophecy that mentions all of you. I don't know what that necklace is, or how it made you see that prophecy, Zell, but you need to protect that necklace at all costs," Edea said, pointing at the necklace. 

"Wait a minute. Yesterday you said that Zell saw that prophecy as it was meant to be passed down. What do you mean 'as it was meant to be passed down'?" Irvine asked Edea, leaing forward on the table. 

"I don't think I have to tell you that prophecies are very dangerous things. Simply knowing of one can cause it to happen. These prophecies are written so that *we* without the gift may only read them. Ones with the gift for the prophecies read them and see their true meaning, as they were meant to be passed down. We are not meant to know what they really mean. Only ones with the gift," she answered. She looked at Zell again. "That is why you mustn't let that necklace, whatever it is, fall into the wrong hands. That is the only safeguard we have against this sorcerer of the prophecy. If it's a safeguard at all. But, we can ill afford not to have it." 

"We need to return to Garden," Squall said, rising from his seat. Edea pointed her finger at him and curled it down. Squall sank back down into the chair. 

"Sit back down. I'm not finished," she said. "Yes, you do need to return to Garden. But only when I'm done. Which will be soon, I'm afraid. I can't help you much more than what I already have. I have marked which prophecies must be fulfilled in order to save the world. I've followed the true fork as far as I can. How you accomplish letting them be done will be up to you. As long as they happen. To you Zell, keep that stone safe and tell no one of what it brings to you, should it give you any more visions. If, by a miracle, the stone brings you a new prophecy, one not recorded in this Book, share the words, not the vision itself. To all of you, no matter what happens in the prophecies I marked, you must not keep them from occuring, *no matter what*. The only thing that matters is that you save the rest of us in the world. You mustn't be selfish. Greed will civilization's downfall if you keep a prophecy from occuring out of selfishness. You will be responsible for the outcome of this new trial you have been chosen to bear. You *must* *not* fail." 

________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

They all assembled outside the orphanage in front of the Ragnarok, Edea and Headmaster Cid seeing them off on their new mission. Squall was about to follow everyone into the giant ship when Edea pulled him aside. "I need to tell you something, Squall," she said, taking a hold of his jacket sleeve. She pulled him close, glancing at the hangar door to make sure no one was listening. 

"I don't want Zell to be left alone by himself for any reason. With that stone, he's as dangerous as the sorcerer in the prophecy,"she said. She looked once again at the hangar door. "He's also *in danger*," she added quietly. Squall arched his eyebrow. 

"What kind of danger?" 

"The prophecies. If that stone has the ability to *give* prophecies, he's in danger. If he gives a prophecy, it will not be pleasant," she said, shaking her head. Cid nodded. 

"From what I've read, giving a prophecy is dangerous," he said to Squall, sunlight glinting off his glasses. 

"What do you mean 'give a prophecy'? How can he give a prophecy? I thought all the prophecies were written in books like that," Squall questioned. What did they mean 'give a prophecy'? He had heard Matron mention it before at breakfast, but he hadn't thought about it then. 

"Giving a prophecy is like a prediction. Giving a prophecy is giving a new prophecy that no one has heard before. Like in the Book, not all of them are true. But, like I said, giving a prophecy is dangerous. They come without warning, sometimes violently, depending on the nature of the prophecy. If it is a prophecy foretelling happiness and joy, it will come to him *peacefully*. However, if it is a prophecy that foretells war, misery, and death, the prophecy will strike him violently," Edea said. 

"'Violently', like how?" 

"If he gives a prophecy now, it will more than likely be a violent thing to watch. He will have something similar to a seizure. You'll need to watch him and not leave him alone by himself for any reason," Cid said to him. "You know how to handle a seizure, don't you? Keeping him from hurting himself is all you can do; you can't stop the prophecy from coming once it starts, just like in a regular seizure. You can't stop it once it begins nor even before it begins." 

Squall saluted Headmaster Cid and Edea. "I'll take care of him." 

Headmaster Cid returned the salute. "Good. Off with you. You've a world to save. Again." 


	4. Promises and Beginnings

Chapter 4-Promises and Beginnings  
  
Squall reentered the cockpit of the Ragnarok and looked around. Selphie sat in   
the pilot's seat and as always, Irvine in the co-pilot's seat. She turned around   
and looked up at Squall as he stepped off the elevator.  
  
"Ready to go, commander?" she asked him. Squall nodded.  
  
"Let's get outta here," he answered her. "And don't call me that, Selphie." The   
engine roared to life and Selphie lifted them gracefully into the air.   
  
"But, that's what you are, Squall. I can't call you any less," she said,   
smirking. Squall sighed, putting his hand to his forehead.  
  
"Headmaster Cid let's his friends call him by his name, Selphie, regardless of   
*where* he is. Just call me 'Squall', no matter where *we* are, alright?"  
  
"I don't know why you're so against being called by your title, Squall. It's not   
anything to be ashamed of," Irvine said to him, propping his feet up on the   
control panel.   
  
"..................whatever."  
  
Selphie looked over at Irvine, at his feet, then back at him, obviously annoyed.   
He looked at her, an eyebrow raised. ".......what?"  
  
"Get your feet off the control panel, ya ninny! You press a wrong button on that   
thing and we all go 'ka-boom'!!" Selphie scolded. She had been made the official   
pilot of the ship by Headmaster Cid after the defeat of Ultimecia. She treated   
the ship like it was her child.   
  
"Okay, okay," Irvine said, picking his feet up off the control panel. "Better?"   
Selphie smiled sweetly.  
  
"Much better."  
  
Squall placed his hand on his forehead once more. (I'm surrounded..........) He   
noticed Rinoa looking out the window at the clouds that were now below them.   
Leaving Selphie and Irvine to their conversation, he walked up behind her and   
put his arms around her neck. She turned her head around and kissed him on the   
cheek.  
  
"Are you nervous?" she asked him, gazing out the window again.   
  
".....I don't know. We don't know what we're up against first-hand.....I guess   
I'm kind of nervous about that prophecy that Zell told us he saw. It   
specifically mentions you and me, Rinoa."  
  
"I'm worried about Zell. I wonder what he's thinking right now? He just got a   
lot of responsibility dumped on him. I don't think that's fair of Headmaster Cid   
to do that. Zell doesn't have any experience with that kind of responsibility;   
he's got to be nervous about doing what Edea and Cid told him. I wonder what's   
going through his mind?" Rinoa thought aloud.  
  
"Probably the same thing I thought when Headmaster Cid made me Commander of   
Garden. I didn't think I was suited for the job and Zell probably doesn't think   
he's suited for this one, either, but it's his necklace, he found the Book, he   
saw the prophecy. I don't think it's fair that Cid did that, either, but we've   
got to go with it," Squall said to her. "He made me Commander and Garden hasn't   
blown up, yet."  
  
Rinoa laughed. "And it probably won't if you stay Commander. I think you should   
go talk to Zell. Ask him what he's thinking about everything so far. He doesn't   
talk to us that much anymore. I don't blame him, though. We don't listen to what   
he has to say half the time, anyway, do we?" Squall considered this for a   
moment.  
  
"You're right, we don't, do we? Where is he?" Squall asked, letting go of her.   
She turned around to face him.  
  
"He's down in the bunks copying the Book some more. No one else volunteered for   
it, so he's doing it, I guess. Go talk to him, Squall. He's just as nervous as   
any of us right now."  
  
"I'm going to. I have to talk to him about what Edea and Cid told me outside the   
Ragnarok before I got back in the ship. They said if he gives a prophecy he   
might have something like a seizure. And I have to talk to him about other   
things," Squall said.  
  
"A seizure...? Why didn't they tell the rest of us?"  
  
"I don't know," Squall replied. "I guess they wanted me to be the one to tell   
you guys, like always, I guess. Do me a favor and tell everyone else while I'm   
gone to talk to him, okay? I'll be back after I talk to him. He'll either come   
up here and sit with us or I'll stay down there with him while he copies the   
Book. Edea said not to leave him by himself for anything, so I'm not."  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Squall entered the hallway of the bunks. He knocked on the first door he came   
to, knowing Zell would be there. He always stayed in the first bunk, no matter   
what anyone said. Squall remembered asking him about it earlier and he had said   
that it made him feel safer with him in the first bunk. He liked being the first   
line of defense, he said.  
  
Squall knew how he felt about that. He couldn't stand it if anything happened to   
any of his friends. There was nothing in the world that could keep him from them   
if they were in danger.   
  
"C'mon in," Zell called from behind the door. Squall pressed the button next to   
the door and it slid open silently, revealing Zell on the bed. He was copying   
down the Book into a blue notebook. He looked up from his writing. "Yeah?"  
  
Squall sat down on the other bed in the room and slouched over, looking down at   
the floor. "I need to talk to you about something." He didn't look up.   
  
Zell put the Book and notebook on the bedside table next to the lamp. He swung   
his feet over the side of the bed. He looked at Squall uneasily. "What'd I do?"  
  
A smile appeared on Squall's face, but was gone as quickly as it had appeared.   
"You didn't do anything, Zell," Squall said to him reassuringly. Zell breathed a   
sigh of relief.  
  
"You scared me for a second there. What's this about, then, if I didn't do   
nothin'?" he asked, leaning forward and putting his hands together.  
  
"Edea told me, before I got back on the Ragnarok, that if you give a prophecy,   
you'll probably....have something similar to a seizure. Why she left it up to me   
to tell you is beyond me. I don't know why she didn't tell you herself, but she   
didn't. You're to stay with me or one of the others from now on. You can't be   
left alone," Squall said, still not making eye contact with Zell. Zell stared at   
him.  
  
"A seizure.....? Is there a way to stop it, I mean, keep me from having it?" he   
asked.  
  
Squall looked up at him. "I don't know. The only way to stop it, that I know of,   
is to stop wearing the necklace. And that means 'no necklace, no prophecy' if   
you even we knew you could give one. I don't want you to get hurt, Zell, but I   
*do* want anything that can help us with this next battle we go through. I'm   
making it your choice, though, whether or not to wear the necklace, Zell. But,   
if you want to keep wearing it, you'll have to stay with one of us all the time   
because I don't want anything happening to you if you do have a seizure. If you   
choose to wear the necklace, that's *my* order. You won't be left alone."  
  
"I'll keep wearing it, Squall. I have to and you know that," Zell stated   
harshly. His expression softened and he looked away at the floor. "But.....I'm   
glad you asked me first. I didn't expect that. You could've just ordered me to   
keep wearing it and I would've done it. We gotta beat this guy."  
  
Squall looked at the floor and sighed. He closed his eyes. He was so tired of   
the fighting. Over the past few months, he had fought so many battles with   
people he loved and alongside people he loved, he was sick of it. He had seen   
his friends near death from wounds inflicted by physical force and magic. Each   
time he cast a life spell or used a phoenix down on a friend, there was a moment   
of despair that he hoped it would work and that they were not too far gone. He   
couldn't help but plead with them quietly to get up and be alright. He was tired   
of having to worry about them when they went off alone by themselves without him   
to the pub in Timber or back to the hotel that they were staying at. He was   
tired of it all.  
  
Zell reached his hand over and put it on Squall's shoulder. "You alright,   
Squall...? You can talk to me, man, I mean if it's anything I said......"  
  
"No, it's nothing you said....this situation's just getting to me already. I'm   
just sick of the fighting. I haven't been a SeeD for half a year yet and look at   
me. Would you trade me places? You play leader and I'll play prophet," Squall   
asked, his face every bit as serious as it had ever been. Zell laughed.  
  
"Me be leader? No way, Jose. Nobody's more suited for the job than you. Besides,   
I wouldn't take orders from anyone else. I'd follow you to the end of the world,   
man."  
  
Squall looked down at the floor once again. What was it like to trust someone so   
completely like that? He didn't trust anyone *that* completely, except Rinoa. He   
had told her that even if she became the world's enemy, he would protect her. Be   
her knight. He had made an oath to her and he would keep it. If a man couldn't   
keep his word, he was no better than an animal.  
  
He didn't want Zell saying that. He didn't know about the vow that Squall had   
made to Rinoa; if he had, he wouldn't have made such an oath.   
  
"Don't say that, Zell. Don't," Squall said, looking up at him seriously. "You   
don't know me like you think you do." Zell cocked his head very slightly.  
  
"What do you mean 'you don't know me like you think you do'? I don't get what   
you're sayin'. What're you talking about?" he replied. Squall looked away. He   
felt sorry for him. Zell tried so hard to understand things that seemed so   
simple to Squall. He trusted people too much; that was the only mistake Squall   
saw in him. Was it a mistake to trust people so much?  
  
"You don't have to explain, Squall," Zell amended. He faltered. "I mean, if you   
don't want to. Ummm, I...I just thought, y'know, I-" Squall grabbed him by both   
shoulders.  
  
"Don't be so nervous, Zell. I'm not a stranger. You can talk to me without   
stuttering like that," Squall said to him, looking him in the eyes. "I said that   
because I made a promise to someone and if I ever have to fulfill it, I don't   
want you following behind me.  
  
".......If I ever do anything to hurt anyone, an innocent person, you have to   
stop me, alright? Swear to me you'll do that, even if you have to kill me. I   
can't tell you who I made the promise to, but you have to swear that you'll stop   
me."  
  
Zell looked at him uneasily. "I....I guess so....I swear. I'll do it. B'but, why   
me? I mean, why not Quistis or Irvine? Or-"  
  
"I picked *you* because I trust *you*," Squall said quickly. "If the time comes,   
I know you'll do the right thing and kill me if you have to."  
  
"I don't know if I can-"  
  
"You doubt yourself too much, Zell. I've been meaning to talk to you about that   
for a while," Squall said. "If I could pick one person to watch my back in a   
fight, it would be you. You know how to get the job done and you know how to   
follow orders like a real soldier. You think about other people's safety before   
your own. I know what it's probably like listening to me tell you you might have   
to kill me, but it's if I didn't, no one would be prepared for it. Just do that   
for me if the time comes. That's all I'm asking."  
  
Zell swallowed. "I'll do it," he said in a small voice. "Only if I absolutely   
have to, I'll do it. But, you're asking a lot of me," Zell held out his hand and   
Squall shook it.  
  
"I knew you'd understand." Squall let go of his hand and sighed. "I'm glad I got   
that off my chest. Now, I can breathe. Are you coming up to the cockpit or   
staying down here?"  
  
"I still have to finish copying this Book to the notebook," Zell said, waving   
his hand toward the bedside table. "I was going to try and finish as much as I   
could before we got back to Balamb."  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Squall and the others walked down the main hall of Balamb Garden at about 1   
o'clock in the afternoon. Zell yawned and popped his back. "God, I'm tired. Is   
anybody else hungry?"  
  
Selphie put her hand up, index finger pointed at the ceiling. "That would be me.   
I didn't eat much at breakfast. Matron's cooking hasn't improved since we lived   
there. I still remember the times we raked the food out into the dogs' bowls.   
There were good meals, though. You guys remember the spaghetti?" she asked as   
they continued down the hall toward the cafeteria. Zell smiled.  
  
"If I remember anything, it's the spaghetti. But, my Ma's is better, though. You   
guys gotta come over one Sunday and eat with me and *my* family. There's nothing   
better than eating a big meal with *big* family strown all over the house an' in   
the yard. You guys gotta come over the next Sunday we get together like that.   
There's like, 15 people that come already."  
  
"Hey, that would be great, don't you think, Squall?" Rinoa asked.   
  
"Maybe," Squall replied, keeping his eyes on where he was walking. "But, we   
still have to save the world before we do that, remember?" he said, chuckling.   
Irvine, who stood behind him, moved forward and looked at Squall's face.  
  
"Did you just laugh?" Squall gave him a sideways glance.  
  
".........whatever." Irvine spread his arms wide.  
  
"There's hope, people!! There is hope for this man!" Irvine cheered.   
  
Xu's voice suddenly seemed to spring from the ceiling.  
  
#Squall Leonhart, Zell Dincht, Selphie Tilmitt, Quistis Trepe, Irvine Kinneas,   
and Rinoa Heartilly report to the bridge immediately. You have a new mission.   
That is all.#  
  
Zell looked at Squall, a worried look in his eyes. "You think.....this is   
it....? I mean, Galbadia Garden.....?"  
  
"It might be," Squall answered. "We'll find out soon enough. Let's go get this   
over with, you guys."  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
The group stepped into the elevator and Squall inserted his security clearance   
card into the slot to reach the third floor. The computer beeped and the third   
floor button lit up, acknowledging the group's clearance to continue. The motor   
whirred and they were lifted from the first floor. They stood silent, each one   
having his own thoughts about what lied ahead for them.  
  
This was the beginning of a new mission. A new, harder mission that put the   
crusade to defeat Ultimecia to shame. Squall's thoughts were on Rinoa and her   
being a sorceress. How would this battle and being in the prophecies affect her?  
  
Irvine's thoughts were on Galbadia Garden. He silently prayed for the safety of   
his friends that lived there.   
  
Quistis only thought about the innocent lives that would be lost in this new   
war. How many were they going to be able to save? And how many would die   
mercilessly, without cause and hope of survival? She weeped inside for the   
children who would lose their parents and the parents who would lose their   
children. The survivors of couples who would be destroyed. Many would perish   
very soon, that was the only thing she was certain of.  
  
Rinoa thought of the prophecies and how they were going to follow the right path   
that lead to salvation. But, she, too knew only one thing for certain: events   
caused by people always lead either to temporary salvation or eternal damnation.   
  
  
Selphie wondered how they were going to beat this new force. They had fought   
three sorceresses, but not a sorcerer. Was he going to be that much more   
powerful? She prayed he wouldn't be. She had lost enough friends in the disaster   
at Trabia Garden when the missiles struck a direct hit.   
  
Zell's mind was on his family. He had family near Galbadia Garden and would not   
see them hurt for anything, adopted family or not. He swore to himself on his   
life that if anything happened to his family and friends, they would be avenged,   
regardless of the cost on his part. The people near him he would watch over in   
the upcoming battles and make sure nothing happened to any of them. They were   
also his family.  
  
The bridge itself not being Headmaster Cid's office anymore, the room had been   
refitted into a briefing room of sorts, complete with rows of blueseats and an   
oak podium with the sky blue-colored seal of Balamb Garden on the front. The   
entrance to the actual bridge was behind the podium. Xu sat in one of the seats   
in the front row. She looked back and stood up as the elevator came to a halt   
and the doors slid open. She spoke.  
  
"Please sit down," she said to them as the group got off of the elevator. They   
all obliged her and sat down in the front row of seats, all leaning forward   
anxiously awaiting their orders.  
  
She stood in front of them all and spoke. "......Galbadia Garden has been taken   
over. The students have been kicked out, all with injuries of some sort. None   
dead, that we know of," she said, speaking to Irvine. He let a sigh of relief.   
"They were nearly electrocuted, most of them. Others were frostbitten and even   
still others with physical injuries. All done by one man, seemingly not over   
twenty years old. We have reports that his name is Danda and he has openly   
declared himself to be a sorcer*er*. I have not ever heard of there being such a   
thing as a sorcerer, only a sorceress. Not even Edea took Galbadia Garden by   
herself: she needed the help of Seifer and students that had allied themselves   
with her. We've got a dangerous mission on our hands once more. Will you go to   
Galbadia Garden, you and the others, Squall? You're the Commander, it's your   
decision."  
  
"Yes, we're going. We knew about this before now," he said to her. "Don't ask   
how, don't ask why, we just did. Understood?" Xu was taken aback.   
  
"How could you.....? We just got the call this morning....."  
  
"I said don't ask any questions, Xu. We just did," Squall said. "We're leaving   
now." They all got up from their seats and headed for the door. Zell punched the   
air.  
  
"Time to kick some sorcerer butt!!!!" Squall turned to him.  
  
"You're staying here." Zell's jaw nearly hit the floor.   
  
"But, Squall, I-"  
  
Squall made his way back through the group to where Zell and Xu stood. He   
pointed a finger at Zell. "No 'buts'. You said you didn't see yourself in the   
prophecy,"  
  
"What's this about a prophecy?" Xu piped up.  
  
"If the prophecy is kept from happening, the world ends," Squall said, ignoring   
Xu.  
  
"End of the world? What are you talking about?"  
  
Zell looked up at him desperately. "Squall, I want to go. I'll stay in the   
Ragnarok, just in case, okay? I'll-"  
  
"NO!!!" Squall barked harshly. "That's the end of it!!! It has to happen, Zell,   
whether or not you want it to!! You're staying here and that's the end of it!!!   
You're not going to mess this up." Squall looked down at him angrily. He didn't understand   
their situation, the danger they were in. How could he not? "This isn't going to end like Timber did."  
  
Rinoa and the others stood wide-eyed behind Squall. They had never seen him   
strike out at anyone like that, let alone Zell.  
  
Zell stared up at him, stricken by his words. His mouth was open slightly, forming an   
'O'. He searched Squall's hazel eyes for any sign of unsincerity in what he had said. He swallowed slightly, afraid to even make a sound. He only wanted to go to   
make sure everyone would be alright. How wrong was that?  
  
Squall turned back, walking through his more-than-surprised friends and getting   
on the elevator. "C'mon, everyone. Let's get to Galbadia Garden," he said   
tonelessly.  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. The Interlopers

Chapter 5-The Interlopers  
  
Squall stood silent inside the elevator as it took them to the first floor of Balamb Garden. How could Zell not understand their situation? He looked at the floor and sighed heavily. He felt a hand touch his shoulder.  
  
"Squall.....?" Rinoa said plainly. He turned to look at her, expecting to see a soft expression on the raven haired girl. What he got was a sour-faced, unhappy Rinoa Heartilly. There was a loud pop in the elevator as Rinoa slapped Squall, leaving a scarlet hand print on his right cheek. He flinched, but didn't dare rub his cheek. She shouldn't have been able to hit him so hard. There wasn't enough room in the elevator for her to strike him that hard. She put her hands on her hips. She said nothing.  
  
Irvine, Quistis, and Selphie knew why she had done that. Squall, on the other hand....  
  
"What was that for....?!!" he exclaimed.  
  
"You know good and well what that was for, Squall!! I don't believe you back at the bridge!! *How* could you *say* that to him??!" she asked incredulously. She was more angry than she had ever been with him.   
  
".........He needed to be put in his place, Rinoa," Squall said, not making eye contact with her.   
  
"Needed to be--?!!! *That's* the best excuse you can come up with??? [scoffs] You tore him *apart*!!! There is *no* excuse for what you said back there!" she said to him. Squall leaned up against the wall and looked at the floor. "Look at me and stop being that way to everything anybody tells you! You can't run away from me now," she said, spreading her arms wide, indicating the elevator.   
  
".............."   
  
Squall continued to look at the floor of the elevator. He didn't need anybody questioning or correcting his methods. Not now, at least. He had enough on his mind as it was and didn't need anyone telling him what was right and what was wrong. He loved Rinoa, but she got on his nerves about things like that. He didn't know what to do sometimes. He wanted to listen to her and her opinion, but she just expressed it at the wrong times. Like now. Here they were about to go to war again with something that they had no experience with, a sorcerer, and she was chiding him about putting Zell in his place? She needed to get her priorities straight and stop worrying about what he did as commander. That job belonged to him.  
  
Selphie stepped up beside Rinoa, tired of watching her be ignored. She looked up at the number on the elevator as it finally read '1'. The elevator dinged and the door started to open, but Selphie pressed the 'close' button on the small control panel. The doors shut again, leaving a tempered Squall Leonhart facing two even more tempered females.  
  
"Let me out of here," he demanded in a quiet tone, moving his hand to the 'open' button. Rinoa held his hand to his chest to keep him from pressing the button. They stared each other down, both with eyes that were as cold and hard as ice.   
  
"You're going to listen to us, one way or the other. You're not running away from us this time," she stated. She glared up at him. "You had no right to say what you did to Zell. No right whatsoever."  
  
"'You're not going to mess this up' and 'this isn't going to end like Timber did'?" Selphie said, imitating Squall as if she were the one who had stood over Zell. "You made him feel about this big." She squeezed her thumb and index finger together.  
  
"He already feels that it's his fault that happened to Trabia, Squall! You didn't have to tell him that it was!! We know he needs to stay here, but you didn't have to put it in the tone of voice that you did!" Selphie chided. Squall stalked toward her, but the brunette held her ground. He towered over her, but she stood firmly, head held high.   
  
"Yes, I did, Selphie! Or he would have argued with me for an hour! An hour *we* don't have!"  
  
"I don't totally agree with either of you, but I will say this," Irvine said from underneath his hat," we don't have time to argue over it now. We've got a mission to get underway and a world to save. Personally, I don't think this is more important than that at the moment."  
  
"Me, either. I'm not saying who I agree with, that would only make things worse, but we have to get going," Quistis said to the group. She pressed the 'open' button on the control panel and the elevator doors slid open. Squall stepped out and fled the scene as quickly as he could without letting it be known that he was running away. Rinoa caught up with him.  
  
"We're not finished, Squall, by a long shot," she stated coldly.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Zell had returned to his dorm room to wait.  
  
Wait.  
  
Such an ugly word. A short, ugly word that just....stopped.  
  
Wait.  
  
He rolled over in his bed and turned on the radio. "Shadowboxer" by Fiona Apple. He turned the song up, thankful for any distraction he could get his hands on. Squall and the others had only been gone for a little over an hour and a half. He was going to go insane waiting. He couldn't stand not knowing if they were going to be alright.  
  
He got up out of his bed and stood in front of his giant red punching bag. It hung from the ceiling, it almost as big as he. He began to punch at it furiously, without his gloves. He hit the bag until the man-made fabric began to make burns on his knuckles. He stopped and rubbed the top of his fists, pacing around the room in frustration.  
  
He wanted to take it all out on something. The training center was closed. The Alcauld Plains held no monsters with a challenge. Neither did the Fire Cavern to the east of Garden, on the other side of the forest. His fists were itching for something that fought back. He wished he could go to the Islands Closest to Heaven and Hell by himself. Chimeras were a decent challenge and so were Grendels. Malboros and Tri-Faces. He needed something to let out his frustration.   
  
He wondered if his friends were going to be alright. He wanted so bad to leave and make sure. But, then he would be disobeying Squall's orders. He didn't want to do that.  
  
He sat back down on the bed and slouched over. He wanted to leave. His adrenaline was flowing; his fists were itching for some kind of action. But, still there was a voice in the back of his head that told him to wait.  
  
{You must wait, Zell,} Bahamut said to him in his deep voice. The dragon Guardian Force spoke to him through telepathy. {I know you are frustrated, but still you must wait. There is a right time for everything.}  
  
"I can't stand this waiting, Bahamut. They could be dead right now and I wouldn't know it!!" Zell said.  
  
{This sorcerer will not kill them. You saw this in your vision,} the black dragon said. He would have appeared before Zell, had there been enough space in the dorm room. But, there wasn't.  
  
"I don't *want* this job!!! Or this kind of responsibility!!" Zell exclaimed, spreading his arms wide, seemingly talking to the ceiling.   
  
{You were chosen for this,} the GF said. {But, by whom...? [sigh] What's the saying....? 'Your guess is as good as mine'.}  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Seifer Almasy took another practice swing with his upgraded gunblade, Destiny's Eraser. The bright red blade was the exact opposite of Squall's Lionheart gunblade. (Just like I like it,) he thought. He and Squall were direct opposites and he wanted it to look that way.   
  
"How much was that upgrade again?" he asked the weapons shopkeeper while he examined the blade. Raijin and Fujin stood behind him patiently. Well, one was patient.  
  
"C'mon, Seifer, I'm hungry!! Let's go get something to eat!" he said, holding his stomach. Fujin kicked him in the back of the knee.  
  
"QUIET," she said in her robotic voice. Raijin howled in pain and Seifer rolled his eyes. The white haired shopkeeper looked at Seifer, stroking his beard.  
  
"That took me nearly two hours to forge from those items you gave me. Four adamantines, three energy crystals, two cactuar thorns, and 1 dragon skin. How long did it take you to get up all those items? Energy crystals and adamantines are hard to come by, not to mention danged near impossible," he said, brushing off his tattered apron that was covered with soot. He wiped the sweat from his forehead.  
  
"It took a while," Seifer said. "How much is the upgrade?"  
  
"It's about 3,000 Gil," the shopkeeper replied. Seifer took out the leather pouch he hung inside his jacket and counted out 3,000 Gil from what was there. He took out the gold coins and put them on the counter. The old man eyed them and then counted them for himself.  
  
"Gold coins, huh?" he said suspiciously. "I ain't ever had anybody pay me with *gold* coins before, 'cept that one kid in the leather jacket..... and he had a gunblade, too. I always been paid with silver. Where'd you get these?"  
  
"That's none of your business," Seifer said, pushing the coins toward the man. "Take the money before I take it back and get outta here without paying you. You don't look like you can afford to let me do that."  
  
The old man grunted. "Alright, get outta here."  
  
Seifer sheathed his new gunblade and opened the shop door. He left, with Raijin and Fujin in tow. Fujin stepped out into the sunlight that engulfed the city of Dollet. She adjusted her eyes, having been inside the weapons shop for the past two hours. They continued down the street down town to rent a car that would take them back to Timber. They were wandering aimlessly around the globe, fighting monsters and living as well as they could, considering they couldn't go back to Garden. Well, Seifer couldn't go back to Garden.  
  
Raijin and Fujin could return anytime they wished, but they would not abandon their friend. Together, the three of them had once made up the Dicipinary Committee of Balamb Garden. But, now that all three of them could not return, they wandered, building up their strength for the next battle. That would come soon. Seifer had sensed this for some reason and had acted on instinct. There was nothing wrong with preparing for something that he was sure of. He wasn't sure about what kind of battle it would be, but he knew that the war wasn't over by far.  
  
He had been on the wrong side of the fence in the first battle. He would not let anyone manipulate him again. Anyone who would be stupid enough to try had a death wish. He would not be controlled.  
  
They finally reached the car rental shop and he went inside. He walked up to the counter and behind it stood a brunette woman with shoulder length hair. Her name tag read 'Krystal'. There was a teenage redheaded girl sitting behind the counter watching a movie. The girl was dressed in over-alls and a red T-shirt, with a necklace with an yellow stone set in silver.  
  
"May I help you?" Krystal said kindly.   
  
"Yeah, I want to rent a car with enough fuel to get me to Timber," Seifer said. "Just something to get me an' my friends to Timber. Lowest price vehicle you got."  
  
"Lowest price we have.....that would be the Ford pickup. Will that do?" she asked. "It'll get you where you need to go, but it doesn't look like it. 350 Gil."  
  
"Just give me the keys and I'll give you the money," Seifer said, taking out the leather pouch again. He started counting silver coins this time. Krystal hollered back behind her.  
  
"Naomi! Get me the keys to the old Ford pickup truck," she said. Naomi pressed 'stop' on the remote control and got up from her seat.  
  
"Okay, Mom," she said, disappearing into the back room.  
  
The girl returned a few moments later with a key in her hand. She strode up to the counter and handed it to her mother. Krystal handed the key to Seifer as he put the money on the counter. Krystal counted it to make sure it was all there.   
  
"Alrighty, you're ready to go. All I need you to do is sign this release form, stating that you're responsible for damages if you get in a wreck. Sign here," she said, pushing the form to him on the counter. Seifer took up the pen and signed his name. He handed the form back to her. "That's all I need from you. The car's around the back in the garage."  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Squall and the others arrived in Timber by train. Squall saw no sense in taking the Ragnarok, seeing as how fuel costed so much for it. Laguna, being President of Esthar, would have given them any amount of fuel they needed, but Squall didn't feel like talking to his father at the moment. He and Laguna weren't that close, now that the war with Ultimecia was over. He hardly saw his father at all anymore, and he wanted to keep it that way. As far as he was concerned, he had no father. Only his mother Raine he accepted as a parent, and she died after giving birth to him in Winhill. Laguna hadn't even been there for her on her deathbed. He had been out in Deling City flirting with Julia Heartilly, Rinoa's late mother, who had died in a car accident when Rinoa was only five years old.  
  
Not that he hated Julia for it, it wasn't her fault, but Laguna had had a woman and a new child that he had not even seen. Squall hated his father, just as Rinoa hated hers. She didn't get along with her father, General Caraway of the Galbadian Armed Forces. He was overprotective of her, prefering her not to be hanging around 'riff-raff' such as Squall and his friends. She was 17, not a legal adult, but she did as she pleased, with or without his consent. She needed nothing from him, but for him to leave her to live her life as she saw fit. He obviously wanted nothing to do with her or he would have sent someone to bring her back home to Deling City. Even then, she would not be taken against her will, and Squall would make sure that she wasn't.  
  
They all stepped off the train, only to be greeted by Seifer, Raijin, Fujin coming down the street in a rusted, brown pickup truck that had half of the side of the front missing, exposing the engine. The truck looked like it was about to fall apart. (I wonder what those three are up to, now,) Squall thought.  
  
"Let's get out of here, Squall," Selphie said uneasily, tugging on his jacket sleeve. "We don't need a fight with them right now."   
  
Squall looked down the road. He was partially hidden by the stairs that led to the train platform, but he knew if they got any closer, they would see him. "Okay, you guys hide behind the pet shop," he said. They ducked behind the building as the pickup truck went by with Seifer at the wheel. To their dismay, the truck pulled over. Seifer got out of the truck, followed by Raijin and Fujin. Raijin stretched his legs, being the big person that he was. He was as big as, if not bigger than Seifer in height and width. The truck was cramped with him squeezed next to the door and Fujin in the middle.   
  
Seifer spied his rival hiding behind the pet shop and walked over. (Oh, perfect.......) Squall thought to himself.  
  
"Hello, Squall," Seifer said, smirking. "Hiding, are we?"  
  
"No, we just have business to take care of and getting into a fight with you is not on our priority list," Squall retorted, wanting out of this situation.   
  
"Hmm? Business....? What kind of business?" Seifer asked curiously.  
  
"I'm not at liberty to discuss it," Squall said. Seifer's attitude turned hostile.  
  
"You getting fancy with me, SeeD? You think you're smart, just because Headmaster Cid made you Commander and I didn't make it to SeeD? Using fancy phrases like 'not at liberty to discuss it'," Seifer smarted off. Seifer knew Squall had always thought himself better than him. Now that Squall was a SeeD and Seifer still nothing, he had an advantage.  
  
But, Seifer didn't care about SeeD anymore, or the military life. He wouldn't mind being among the ranks of SeeD, but he wasn't losing any sleep over it. He had his posse, Raijin and Fujin, and that was all he needed.  
  
"Get out of my way, Seifer," Squall said, trying to move around him. Seifer blocked his path.  
  
"I wanna know what kind of business you got here," he said. Squall looked up at him as the others moved out from behind the building going the opposite direction.   
  
Seeing that he wasn't going to get out of there without a fight unless he gave Seifer the information he wanted, he spoke. "We've got business at Galbadia Garden. It's been taken over, in case you haven't heard. Student's have been kicked out by a sorcerer, all with some kind of injury, etc. Are you satisfied now?"  
  
"I won't believe it until I see it," Seifer said, smoothing back his short blonde hair. They heard a clap of thunder in the distance. Seifer looked up at the cloudy sky that loomed over the horizon, forgetting about Squall. "Somethin's comin'. Don't know what it is, but somethin's comin'."  
  
Squall looked up. "You're right." He looked back at Seifer. "[sigh] Will you let me by? We've got business to take care of." Seifer laughed.   
  
"So do I. I'm on my way to that Garden, too," he said. Squall turned gravely serious.  
  
"No." The prophecy Zell saw mentioned nothing about Seifer, Raijin, and Fujin. If they were there it would mess everything up. This was going to get complicated.  
  
"You're not gonna stop me, puberty boy.   
  
"And why not?"  
  
"Look, it's complicated. Normally, I'd welcome the help, but not now. We can't afford to have anyone else there, but me and the others that are with me. Quistis, Selphie, Irvine, and Rinoa," he said. He didn't have time to explain everything to Seifer. Odds were he was going to do as he wished anyway.  
  
"Explain," Seifer said, crossing his arms. Their friends were standing behind Seifer, all eyes on Squall.  
  
"I don't have *time* to explain, Seifer, get that in your head!!" Squall declared, slightly stomping his foot on the ground.  
  
"Gettin' tense?" Seifer asked casually. Squall returned a howl of frustration.  
  
"Yes, I am very tense! I have been for the past day and a half! I'll explain everything to you later if you will just leave us to do what we came to do," Squall said.  
  
"One last question: where's the chicken wuss at? He usually follows you around on missions like a dog follows a car. He 'chicken out' or something?" Seifer asked, laughing.  
  
"I made him stay at Garden for reasons I will *tell* you about *later*, when I *see* you again. Let me by, Seifer."  
  
The blonde 18 year old boy stepped aside to let Squall by. Squall rejoined his friends. "God, he irritates me to no end....." he whispered, almost inaudible.  
  
"Hey, puberty boy!!"  
  
Squall turned around to face his rival once more. "What *now*?"  
  
"How exactly do you plan on getting there? Walking from East Side Station? Again?"  
  
Raijin spoke up. "We could take 'em in the truck, ya know!!" Fujin kicked him again. "Yowwwww!!! Fujin, darn it, why you gotta kick me all the time??!!! I just said-" She gave him a warning glance. Raijin held up his hands in defense. "Okay, okay, I'll shut up, just don't kick me no mo'."  
  
"That was exactly what I had in mind, Raijin," Seifer said, spawning a confused look from all around him. Squall lifted an eyebrow.  
  
"You're gonna give us a ride to Galbadia Garden? In that thing?" he said, looking the black rusted truck up and down. (Something isn't kosher about this....I don't like it,) Squall thought to himself.  
  
"C'mon, Squall," Seifer said, smirking. "It's the quickest way to get there. Don't worry about us staying, if that's it. I got no business there," he lied. He would eventually have business there. Seifer's curiosity often got the best of him and this was going to prove to be no different. He just wanted to see what was going on. That was the only reason he was giving them a ride. If there was a sorcerer, he was probably just sitting in Galbadia Garden's master room, biding his time. But, he wouldn't stay while Squall and the others were there. Squall had his reasons, and Seifer respected them now, even if he had never respected Squall as a person. He knew Squall and he looked pretty desperate to have him and his posse stay in Timber.   
  
He wasn't ready for a battle like that, anyway. At least, Raijin and Fujin weren't. And he wasn't going to battle without them by his side. He just needed to get their weapons upgraded and then 'sorcerer, here comes the Diciplinary Committee'.  
  
"What are you waiting for?" Seifer asked impatiently. "Get in the back of the truck!"  
  
************************************************************************************************  
  
Was this chapter disappointing? I had a lot of doubts when I posted this, but don't worry. Chapter 6 is where all the action is. Hopefully, I'll get it up before June 18th. If it's not up by the 17, it won't be up until the 25th. This Sergeant will be gone to a leadership school for 6 days as apart of her training. Just thought I'd let you know I won't be around June 18-24. Wish me luck, you guys!   
  
Sergeant Phoenix  
  
  



	6. The Mission

Chapter 6-The Mission  
  
Squall and his friends walked down the bloody sidewalk that led to the entrance of Galbadia Garden. All stood with their weapons out, each ready to cast a spell at a moment's notice. Rinoa and Selphie were stocked with mostly Life and Cure spells, while Quistis and Irvine had many status changing spells like Break, Poison, and Silence.   
  
Squall had outfitted himself with the strongest spells that could be found in the world: Ultima, Flare, Quake, Aura, Full-Life, Triple, Double, and Curaga. He knew they would lose this battle and that they would all be hurt to the point of being near lifeless. He knew this, but they were not going to simply give up. They would fight as they normally would.  
  
Irvine and Selphie stayed close together, like Squall and Rinoa. Irvine had his Exeter rifle shouldered in a ready position, his tan trenchcoat whipping in the harsh spring wind that was bringing with it a thunderstorm. He had his mind only on the battle that was before them inside the building he had grown up in. He had fought one battle inside Galbadia Garden, his home, and he did not wish to fight another. But, there was no other way, that he knew.   
  
Selphie's mind was a tangle of worries and determination. Her usually light and cheery face had been covered with a blanket of seriousness. Ultimecia was going to be nothing compared to this new threat. Edea and Cid had said so and she believed them. She didn't know if she was prepared for *anything* he might throw at them, but she knew only what she had been told. She knew not what happened in Zell's vision, and she didn't want to know.  
  
Quistis held onto the handle of her Save the Queen whip for dear life. She gritted her teeth, ready for the battle of her life. She focused on an Ultima spell in her mind, ready to cast it if she needed to. There was nothing she wasn't ready for. She kept telling herself this for reassurance, but she knew she would fall this day. If not for good, for a long time.  
  
Rinoa stayed close to Squall with her Angel Wing pinwheel ready in the launcher on her arm. Squall looked down at her, as if to say 'don't worry. Everything'll be fine. Just stick with me.'  
  
_______________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Zell paced around his room, popping his knuckles. He breathed deep in frustration. He stopped popping his knuckles and started pulling his hair. "I can't *stand* this anymore!!!"  
  
{Calm down, Zell,} Bahamut said to him. The GF could only tell him this. Whatever decision Zell made, Bahamut could not stop him. It was not his place.  
  
Zell picked up his Ehrgeiz fighting gloves from his bedside table. "That's it," he said, putting them on. "I can't wait anymore. Prophecy or not, I can't sit here and do nothing!!!"  
  
{Understandable,} the GF said to him.   
  
{Carbuncle!} the green, kangaroo-like GF said. It had a diamond shaped ruby stone set in its forehead. It was the first time Carbunkle had said anything to Zell. {Carbuncle. Car. Buncle. Carbuncle! Carbunc. Le.} The little GF sounded like it agreed with Zell about going to check on the others. It favored Selphie when it was junctioned to anyone. It seemed to hate Squall, however. Selphie had to plead with it whenever she tried to give the GF to Squall to use on a mission. The green Guardian Force did as Selphie asked, but it could have tried a little harder when Squall needed it. One time, it came up out of its hole and waited 5 minutes before it finally cast Reflect on Squall, Quistis, and Zell.  
  
Bahamut sighed. {Why did you have to junction me in here with that kangaroo rat-thing? It's annoying,} he said.  
  
"Please be quiet, Carbuncle," Zell said. He didn't want to make the little GF mad. It was very picky about who it obeyed. If he needed Carbunkle in an upcoming fight, he wanted to be on the GF's good side.  
  
{Carbuncle....} the GF said. It sounded like it was sorry.  
  
{Thank you,} the dragon GF said to it.   
  
Zell threw open his closet door and moved his Seed uniform and his other clothes aside. He wouldn't need to take any clothes with him; he left enough in his bunk in the Ragnarok to last him. In the back of his closet was dirty-brown colored knapsack packed to the top with all manner of Potions, Elixirs, X-Potions, and various remedies for whatever might ail you. This was something not even Squall knew about. Zell had and knew a lot of things Squall didn't know about.   
  
It was his emergency pack.   
  
Whenever he had gotten a little extra money, he went and bought rare items from a ring of dealers that stayed close to the regular shops. You had to have connections in order to buy from them. He was Zell, however; everyone in Balamb knew him. Zell knew one person in Balamb who knew dealers in every city on the map, including Esthar. He knew people in high and low places. He had bought most of the items in the knapsack from a dealer who sold them for three quarters of the price at a regular store. Other items you couldn't buy anywhere, like Heroes and the different colored magic stones, he had saved from the mission to defeat Ultimecia. He swiped a few of each from Squall's bag when he wasn't looking and stuck them in his pocket. Squall wasn't going to miss them; it wasn't like he counted them and he had too many to keep track of. Zell wasn't going to call it stealing, just....borrowing in case of an emergency. He had a small arsenal and a make-shift hospital, all down inside an deceivingly innocent brown bag.   
  
He checked the bag to make sure nothing was missing, and when he was satisfied, he threw it over his shoulder and walked out his door. He didn't want to attract attention to himself, he just wanted to get out to the Ragnarok as quickly as he could. He made his way down the hall at a normal pace.  
  
He saw the library girl, Dani, coming down the hall toward him. Zell had always had a crush on her. It made him blush just to be around Dani. As she came closer, he felt his ears turn red.  
  
"Hi, Zell," she said. His cheeks were bright pink. "Where are you going?"  
  
Zell hesitated. "......out," he said in a small voice. Dani smiled and laughed.  
  
"I can see *that*, bright eyes," she said to him. "I mean where to?"  
  
She called him 'bright eyes'. Dani, the girl he had had a crush on ever since he came to Balamb Garden, had called him 'bright eyes'! He was so light in the head you could knock him over with a feather.  
  
"You still there, Zell or did you fall in?" she asked. Zell blushed and scratched the back of his neck. He had zoned out completely.  
  
"I can't tell you where I'm going...." he said to her. She cocked her head to the side.  
  
"Why not? You've always told me everything, Zell," she said.  
  
"Until I became a SeeD, Dani. I..." He looked behind him down the hall for prying eyes and ears. He sighed and lowered his voice. "There's a new mission. Galbadia Garden's been taken over and Squall made me stay here. I won't get into anymore detail than that, it's too complicated. I'm not supposed to leave Garden, but....I have to. I have to make sure everyone's alright. I can't stand not knowing."   
  
"Who's taken over?" she whispered. "Is there a new threat? Like Ultimecia?"  
  
"More like a male Ultimecia on steroids. We're dealing with a sorcerer this time. I haven't heard anything about a sorcerer until a day or so ago," he replied quietly.  
  
"How are you going to beat him?"  
  
"We don't know. I got something I need you to do for me." He looked around again. "In the back corner of the library, there's a secret room underneath a loose tile. You'll be able to tell where it is. Drop a book on the tile and there'll be a hollow sound. I've got a book in my room that's written in High Centauran. I want you to get that and you try and translate as much of it as you can, alright? You know more of that language than anyone I know. Heck, there might be a book that translates High Centauran to our language. Can you do that for me? And not tell anyone?"  
  
Dani looked up at him, running her fingers through her ponytail. "I'll try. Go and get out of here. Go check on them. Squall will probably give you hell for disobeying his orders, though....."  
  
Zell took his room key out of his pocket. "I don't really care *what* Squall says at the moment. I didn't particularly care for what he said to me earlier. Here. That's the key to my room. The Book's under my bed." Dani took the key from him and planted a kiss on his cheek.  
  
"Go on. But, you take care of yourself, you hear? Don't you go an' get killed on me," she said. Zell looked down at Dani and wondered now, if she felt the same about him as he did about her. They were closer to each other's bodies than they had ever been before. Zell put his arms around her and he took a chance; he kissed her.  
  
Dani pulled away from him. "You don't need to be messing around with me while you've got your friends to see about. You can kiss me later," she said. Zell looked down at her.  
  
"You mean you....."  
  
"Yes, silly. I've always loved you. I just wasn't sure about how *you* felt until now. *Go*," she said. "I'll be waiting for you." Zell smiled and took off down the hallway, filled with a new energy.  
  
_______________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
As they neared the gate to Galbadia Garden, they could see two Garden students, one male and one female, blocking their path. The boy had jet black hair and two sidearms at his belt. The girl was a brunette who had a pair of sais at her waist.  
  
The female took out her sais and took up a fighting stance as Squall's group approached the gate. The boy held up his hand, silently telling them to stop.  
  
"No one enters this Garden. Orders of Master Danda."  
  
Squall looked at the boy. He was no younger than Squall was and the look on his face was dead serious. Squall matched the boy's expression with a glare of his own.  
  
"Let us by," he ordered softly. The two stared each other down for a few moments, while Irvine watched from his side. There was just something about Squall Leonhart then, an air about him that demanded respect and compliance. Demands, however, are not always met.  
  
"*No one* enters this Garden. Orders of Master Danda," the boy repeated stiffly. He held his head high and his expression didn't waver the slightest. Squall threw his arms open wide, indicating his fellow teenagers that stood beside him.  
  
"You're outnumbered, cadet. You two can't win. What do you suppose to do against the five of us?" Squall asked him. The boy stood stiffly in front of Squall, not moving an inch. He did not answer.  
  
"*Move* or we'll *move* you," Irvine said, pointing his Exeter rifle at the cadet's chest. Selphie snapped the chain of her nunchaku for emphasis on his statement. Quistis cracked her whip on the ground, the sound like a gunshot echoing for miles. Rinoa lifted her left arm, ready to launch her pinwheel.  
  
The boy looked at them uneasily and swallowed, but held his ground. "No one enters."  
  
Squall lifted an eyebrow. "You're willing to die for this guy, this 'Master' of yours? Why? What has he promised you or are you just practicing blind loyalty?"  
  
"Master Danda is going to open Tear's Point in Esthar," the boy said.  
  
"What are you talking about? Tear's Point brings down the Lunar Cry, along with Lunatic Pandora. What do you mean 'open' it?" Squall asked him. The boy said nothing. Squall lifted his sky blue Lionheart gunblade angrily to the boy's neck, gritting his teeth. "*Tell* me what you're talking about, cadet. What does 'open Tear's Point' mean?"  
  
"Go ahead. Kill me. You'll have to get what you want from Master Danda, *if* you can get it. I won't talk anymore than that," the cadet said, holding his head high still in a haughty position. Squall held the tip of his gunblade to the cadet's neck, making a small indention in his skin. "Go on. Kill me. You'll get nothing from me."  
  
"I don't want to *kill* you! I never *did*. But, I'll do what I have to to get past you and your friend there," Squall said, gesturing toward the girl who stood about five feet away with her sais ready. "Which won't be much, I'm afraid. Last chance, cadet. Join us or join the casualties. Which'll it be?"   
  
The boy calculated in his head his chances of defeating the five people in front of him. Not very likely. The magic he had junctioned was sparse at the most and he only had two Guardian Forces, like his friend. She didn't look concerned, though. She looked ready to fight to the death if she needed to. The boy looked around at each face and then back to Squall. He swallowed.  
  
"No one enters."  
  
Squall took his gunblade from the boy's neck and backed away, motioning for the others to spread out. They backed away in a semicircle. "Your choice," he said. The girl ran at Selphie with her sais, trying to stab her. Selphie held up her nunchaku in defense, but this action was superfluous, as Irvine cracked the girl in the back of the head with the butt of his rifle. Hard. She fell to the ground, the sais slipping from her fingers.  
  
The boy took out his pistols at the same time and lifted them to shoot randomly at anything his bullets could snag, but Squall was a step ahead of him.  
  
"Thundaga!!" Squall shouted, pointing at him. Lightning came down from the sky, coming together in one large bolt, slamming into the boy's chest. His body quavered, but he didn't fall. (I don't believe that didn't get him....) Squall thought. (He must have Thunder on his magic defense....)  
  
"Scan!" Quistis called to the boy. His weakness came to her instantly in her mind. (Quake.) "Squall! Earth magic!" the blonde girl called to him. "He's weak against earth magic!" The boy looked at Squall, a pleading expression on his face.  
  
"You had your chance. Quake," Squall said simply, pointing at the boy. The ground split and erupted beneath the cadet's feet, throwing him straight into the air and he landed, only to be catapulted into the air again. It was like being on a living trampoline, except this hurt. Badly. He was landing on concrete; more accurately the concrete was coming up to hit him in midair. Squall heard some of the cadet's bones break as the quake ceased, leaving the cadet broken and bleeding on the ground, unconscious. Squall looked around at his friends. They were all okay. There was no reason they shouldn't have been.   
  
Rinoa looked down at the boy, blood coming from abrasions on his cheeks and hands. She glanced up at Squall. "Do you want me to...?"  
  
"Go ahead. Cure him and the girl. No more than one spell apiece, though. For one, they had their chance to join us. For another, we have to save those cure spells. We're gonna need them," Squall said. He looked over at Irvine. "Check the girl while I check the boy. See what kind of items she has on her. Elixirs, X-Potions, whatever she's got take it." He glanced down at the boy and then looked at his pistols that were on the ground nearly 20 feet away from his body. "Take those, Selphie. You might need them. Rinoa and Irvine are the only ones with long range weapons. It's too risky not to have as many as we can in case we run out of magic. Irvine, you got any ammunition that'll fit those pistols?"  
  
"I brought some standard issue SeeD pistols and I have plenty of all kinds of ammo in all my pouches and pockets," Irvine said, opening up his jacket to reveal two sidearms identical to those that were on the ground. He had the inside pockets of his jacket packed with small and large boxes of ammunition, and several pouches on his belt. Selphie picked up the pistols by the barrels.  
  
"I hope I can remember how to shoot these. I only took the class because it was required," she said. Irvine kneeled down to search the unconcious girl while Squall checked the boy. Selphie gave Irvine a warning glance. "If I catch you *smiling*, Kinneas, you're in trouble."  
  
"Just a routine search, honeybun. *You're* the only one for me," he said, smiling at her. He took what few curative and magic items she had and put them in the pockets in his jacket. She had a few Elixirs, Hi-Potions, Ethers, and Flare Stones. Not very much, considering the side that she was on. After he was done, Rinoa knelt down and healed the girl with a weak Cure spell. Not enough to wake her up, but enough to keep her brain from swelling from the blow Irvine had so graciously bestowed upon her.   
  
Squall finished taking what items the boy had and put them in his pack that he had brought. With the boy, they had gotten lucky: three Ultima Stones, one Aura Stone, five Remedies, and, amazingly, one Hero. He hadn't many curative items: only two Hi-Potions. He had probably decided he was better off using his magic to cure himself than items. Squall knew that was a bad idea. He always came prepared with plenty of curative items in case he were to run out of Cure magic. But, there was no time for him to ponder these thoughts. They had to move on.  
  
Rinoa knelt down and Cured the boy with a stronger spell, controlling the flow of the magic. Like with the girl, just enough to keep him from waking, but enough to heal his wounds. She watched as the abrasions on his cheeks and hands sealed up, the bleeding stopped. She stood up. "Let's go."  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Zell reached the Ragnarok on the other side of the forest without much trouble, except for Caterchipillars and Bite Bugs. God, those things were annoying. Especially since he had gotten his ultimate weapon, Ehrgeiz. He never went anywhere without his fighting gloves. But, he never wore them around people, because he lost his temper so easily. If he were to punch a person with them, he would end up breaking their jaw bone and possibly disfiguring their face. He had come close to doing that very thing one time, when he had only had his Metal Knuckle gloves on. Him and another boy his age were arguing over a game of Triple Triad, because the boy had had cards up his sleeve. Zell just barely caught himself before he nearly punched him. He took his gloves off and *then* punched the kid.  
  
(Not as smart as you think you are, huh, Squall?) Zell thought, grinning to himself as he reached in his pocket. He pulled out a spare key for the ship. (Yep, ol' Zell beat ya this time.....)   
  
He had talked Laguna into giving it to him, just for such an emergency. Knowing the President of Esthar had its perks. Squall was the only other one with a key to the Ragnarok, that which he had taken with him to prevent Zell from following them. Zell chuckled as the engine roared to life. He strapped himself into the seat, throwing his emergency pack into the co-pilot's seat and pushed the throttle forward. There was no time for a preflight inspection. The Ragnarok was always kept in top condition for such missions when they were leaving immediately.  
  
The ship lifted into the air slowly and he looked out the window to the ground below as he flew over Balamb Garden. He saw what looked like Xu and Nida come out of the entrance. They obviously knew who was piloting the great red ship. "Sorry, Xu. Nida," he said aloud as he passed over their heads. "A Chickenwuss's gotta do what a chickenwuss's gotta do."   
  
{Carbuncle!!!}  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Squall entered Galbadia Garden's main hall. (This is it,) he thought. He looked around. It was the same Garden he had fought in once before. Or it looked the same.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
Each of their eyes darted around the room, looking for the source of the voice. A blue light seemed to spring from the second floor, fading to reveal a man in a black robe, and next to him another Garden student. He wore his nearly white hair long, hanging past his shoulders. He did not look as old as his hair would have a person believe. Squall wondered how old he was, now that he saw him. He had new doubts about how difficult this mission would be since he had actually seen his opponent. (Don't be so quick to judge, Squall,) he corrected himself. (Letting your guard down can be fatal.)  
  
The boy and his accomplice floated down to the first floor level and stood in front of Squall. "Who are you?" he repeated. The student next to him stepped up from behind him.  
  
"Answer Master Danda."  
  
"Quiet, Michael. I know who they are and what they want. I merely want to give them the chance to introduce themselves," he said. "Before I kill them."  
  
"Big talk," Irvine scoffed, from under his cowboy hat. "You don't look no older than us. You can't be that much smarter." Danda laughed.  
  
"And you can't be much dumber. I was old before you were born," he said. "I'm the only sorcerer on this planet." He needed not fear the five teenagers who stood before him. They were no threat; he could take his time.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Squall asked. He didn't want to attack without getting things straight, prophecy or none.  
  
"Fulfilling my destiny, child. There is nothing you can do to stop me," Danda said. "I'm the most powerful person in the world, with the exception of two other people. The ones with stones like this," he said, showing Squall his ring. The royal blue stone glowed on his hand. "The other two people have stones like my Stone of Dreams. However, they are my equals, not my superiors. The Stone of the Heart and the Stone of Tears. When I have all three, I may open Tear's Point. Once that is done, there will be none who may oppose my rule."  
  
"What are you talking about 'open' Tear's Point?" Squall asked. He was tired of playing word games.   
  
"Calling down monsters from the moon is not the purpose of Tear's Point. Tear's Point was a shrine where the Stone of Tears was kept until 1000 years ago. There was a Lunar Cry in the northern part of the continent. Following that devastation, the monks at the shrine determined that it would be safer for the Stone to be cast into the world, than to keep it in one place. And so it was with the Stone of the Heart, kept in the shrine far to the west. My Stone was kept in a shrine to the south. No Shrine but Tear's Point still stands. They were torn down by the monks so the world would forget what was ever kept there. There are no records or traces of ruin indicating there ever were any such places. No one knows that these Stones even exist, let alone what they can do."  
  
"So that Stone makes you a sorcerer?" Rinoa asked him. He laughed.  
  
"No, I was born with this gift. The Stone grants me just what its name implies. It gave me what I dreamed of: youth and longevity," he said.  
  
"So, you're what-150 years old or something?" Selphie said to him. He continued to laugh.  
  
"Dear child, I will turn 763 this year," he answered her. Squall's eyes widened slightly, while the other's mouths dropped open.   
  
(763...????) Irvine thought incredulously. (This is....that can't be right, this is.........This guy is *763* years of age??!!! That's it. We're screwed.)  
  
"So what happens when you--wait a minute--why haven't you killed us yet, if you're so almighty?" Selphie asked him curiously.  
  
"You have a right to know why you're going to die. I'm not so evil as to kill you without telling you what's going on," he replied. He chuckled. "It's not like you're going to tell anyone. As for what happens when I open Tear's Point, I'll get one wish granted to me."  
  
"One wish?" Rinoa said, confused. "Why?"  
  
"Hyne isn't necessarily the most powerful being in this world. Even *I* have a Master I must serve," Danda explained. "My Master was sealed inside Tear's Point by Hyne, in the netherrealm, a place that has no matter. Only empty, black space. I will release him and he will reward me handsomely. I have searched the world over for the three Stones for the past seven centuries and I am no closer than when I obtained this Stone of Dreams those centuries ago. I have mastered my powers as a sorcerer; do what you will. It will not deliver you."  
  
Danda stepped back from the group, prepared for anything the teenagers might do. Michael cowered behind him, afraid. He had not the powers his Master had. Danda looked over his shoulder at him. "I will protect you, child. Stay loyal to The Cause and I will protect you."  
  
Squall gritted his teeth. He would lose, but forfeit he would not. He made the first attack, drawing his Lionheart and running at the robed man. He swung his sky blue gunblade as hard as his muscles would allow, aiming for Danda's neck. Danda held out his hand as Squall's blade got less than half an inch from his jugular. The blade stopped, sending shockwave through Squall's body. He screamed.   
  
It was like touching a lightning bolt.  
  
Pain went searing through his arms, traveling up to his shoulders, then channelling down to every nerve in his body. His gunblade clattered onto the floor as he collapsed, bringing his knees to his chest. His whole body shuddered, his nerves still in shock. His limbs had a painful tingling sensation that wouldn't go away. His teeth chattered.  
  
Rinoa pushed her way past Irvine and Selphie and knelt down beside him. She lifted him up into her arms and held him tight. She looked away from him and up at Danda, her eyes overflowing with hatred.  
  
"B****rd!!! What did you do to him??!!" she screamed.  
  
"Absolutely nothing. What I did to myself was put a protective forcefield around my and my diciple's body, preventing any physical attack. Technically, I did nothing to *him*," he said, looking at Squall. Irvine cocked his rifle.  
  
"Let's see what that forcefield of yours can do," Irvine said, aiming at Danda's chest. He fired several times, sending Demolition ammo through the air to its target. There was a green light as the bullets hit the forcefield. They were reshaped into flat circles on impact and fell to the floor. Danda seemed to be enjoying the whole thing. Rinoa and Quistis pulled Squall well away from the horrible man. Quistis stood over him and Rinoa protectively. She knew not what good it would do, but she had to try.   
  
"Flare!!!" Selphie called, pointing her nunchaku at Danda. Red light and intense heat surrounded him, all coming in to engulf him in flames so thick, he could hardly be seen. The inferno disappeared, leaving Danda unscathed. The floor beneath his feet had turned black, the tiles completely gone.  
  
"Very nice. I actually felt that," Danda chuckled. "Now, are you going to get serious anytime soon?"  
  
Quistis fumed. If they were going to lose, they were going to at least do some damage to this fruitcake. If this didn't work, nothing would. "ULTIMA!!!!" she screamed. Irvine fired his rifle at him while he was surrounded in a dark green globe. It exploded, the globe expanding rapidly, turning yellow near the floor. The green haze began to clear. Quistis's mouth dropped open.  
  
Danda stood in the same position, each of his hands gripping the wrist in the opposite sleeve. His smile turned to a sour frown. "Enough games." He took his hands from the sleeves, and lifted them toward the ceiling. The teenagers got ready for the punishment of their lives. They knew that this was going to be the only attack he would need.  
  
They were all lifted from the floor and high into the air in the great hall. The sorcerer forced Rinoa and Squall to separate, spawning a howl of anguish from the black haired girl. Irvine looked over at Selphie and mouthed an 'I love you'. She returned his gesture by blowing a kiss to him. If she was going to die, she was at least going to die with her love.  
  
He sent their bodies spiraling through the air, his hands not moving. They went around and around the room and finally they hit the second floor railing. They were raked along the barrier at blinding speeds, each of them crashing through the glass railing of the second floor until there was no glass left to break, only shards left inside their supports.   
  
Selphie managed to look down at her legs, now bleeding profusely. Her outfit had been split up the side by a shard of glass still stuck to the brass frame that was left of the railing. Danda let her and her friends drop on the second floor. Selphie lay on her side, forcing herself to breathe deep. She could hardly feel her legs anymore. She clung fiercely to her nunchaku, holding it to her chest. She whimpered as she was lifted into the air again after only seconds of being on the ground. He was toying with them. He had made them think his onslaught was over.  
  
He continued his attack, this time raking them along the walls, hitting whatever they happened to run into: a door frame, a bench. He couldn't see what was hitting them, and he didn't care. They wanted to stop him from freeing his Master and getting his reward. He cared not what happened to them.  
  
Minutes later, after he was satisfied they would give him no more trouble, he brought them away from the safety of the second story and let them fall to the first floor. Irvine landed at Selphie's feet, his body weak. He could barely move. He stretched his fingers for his rifle, that lie inches from his hand, but failing. He whispered a curse as he realized it was useless.  
  
Quistis landed on her stomach; she did not rise. Rinoa and Squall landed close to each other. Rinoa started to crawl to him, but he was lifted into the air and brought close to Danda. Rinoa screamed fearfully for Danda to put him down.   
  
Squall's lips bled, the liquid dropping from his chin onto the fur collar of his jacket. The sleeves were ripped, and so were his gloves, blood dripping from his fingers. While they had been punished to no end, Danda had not moved an inch from where he was. He smiled as Squall was brought closer to him. He got less than an inch from the Commander's face and grinned mercilessly.  
  
"Say 'hello' to your mother for me, Squall," he whispered. Squall's eyes lit up with rage and he screamed a curse at the man, only to be lifted higher into the air and thrown against the wall. He collapsed to the floor again, and Rinoa crawled to him. He opened his arms weakly and held her tight.  
  
"I love you...." Rinoa whispered.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Zell ran down the sidewalk that led to Galbadia Garden, hoping he wasn't too late. Upon entering the main hall, he was filled with trepidation. It was his vision, exactly as he had seen it. Irvine was at Selphie's feet, Quistis was on her stomach, Squall and Rinoa embracing each other. Danda stood in the middle of the room, his diciple hiding behind him. The Garden student was irrelevant.  
  
The stone around Zell's neck glowed bright red as he looked around the room at his friends. Suddenly the light expanded around him, engulfing him within it. His friends began to glow red.  
  
An expression of concern took over Danda's face. "Who are you??!!!"  
  
Zell didn't answer. He didn't have time. His legs were fading into the light, leaving him to panic. "What the--?!!"  
  
He looked around and noticed his friends' bodies were fading as well. When they disappeared, each of the red lights lifted from the ground and combined where Zell had been standing. The ball of red hovered for a moment and then shot out the door into the sky and was gone.   
  
************************************************************************************************  
  
Alright, everyone, aside from End of Days, I have an announcement to make. I'm in the process of writing another ending for One Day at a Time. The ending that I originally planned, the one where he lives. Hallelujah!! Now, isn't everyone happy? The first part should be up soon, however I don't really know when. Anyway, chapter 7 of End of Days will be up within the week hopefully!  
  
Sergeant Phoenix  
  
  
  
  



	7. New Questions

Okay, I'm baaack!! 6 days at a National Guard Base is all I can handle.....Anyway, here's chapter 7. Enjoy!! ^_-} And is anyone still reading this?  
  
***********************************************************************************************Chapter 7--New Questions  
  
  
Zell opened his eyes. (God, my head hurts.....) he thought, running his fingers through his hair. He felt around his neck for his necklace. He sat up quickly and immediately regretted it. He clutched the side of his head and groaned.   
  
"Holy...!!"  
  
He shut his eyes and put his head between his legs. Everything was swirling. He then heard yelling.  
  
"Kildare!" he heard it yell. "One is awake! Go and tell the Dileja!"  
  
The words faded away to nothing. Zell breathed deep as his hearing failed him. Suddenly there were hands on his shoulders pushing him backward, making him lie back down. He obeyed them. Whatever he was lying on, it was soft enough to make him not wish to move. He turned his head and tried to cough without success. He had never felt so nauseous and spent in his life.  
  
"Lie still," the woman said to him. She knew he could not hear her well; this was the state all who traveled in the Light ended up. They couldn't move easily, they were nauseous, and tired. It would take time for them to recover from the trip, but it would not take long. They had learned long ago how to remedy this state of disorientation.   
  
Zell felt a hand pulling him up from his resting place, making everything begin to twist and turn again. He resisted, trying to lie back down. The hand pulled him up more forcefully, putting a cup to his lips, beckoning him to drink from it.  
  
He only wished to be left alone to rest. He opened his mouth, if only to make the presence go away. A thick, syrup-like liquid poured into his mouth and down his throat. It had a sweet taste to it and he opened his eyes, putting his hand to the metal cup.  
  
He immediately felt the dizziness and nausea disappear, leaving only strong fatigue. He could not sit up by himself or hold the cup.   
  
It was a gold goblet, filled with a silver substance. A girl with strangely pure white skin and blue hair held him up as he drank. She wore a white robe to match her skin, and lavender eyes. She looked no older than twenty, but Zell knew then that looks could be deceiving. The goblet was soon empty and the girl laid him back down. Zell looked up at her before falling asleep again.  
  
"Where am I...?" he asked.  
  
"At the bottom of the ocean."  
  
_______________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"He was awake for only a few moments, Dileja. I gave him the malist as I was told to," the blue haired girl said after entering the room. She stood in what seemed to be an office of sorts. She faced a large picture window that would have classified as an entire wall. At each end of the window were silk white curtains. White marble columns lined the edges of the large room, with a slightly older woman behind a wooden desk. She was reading from a leather bound book. She turned the yellow pages gently and looked up at the girl before her.  
  
"Thank you, Ondine," the Dileja replied to her. The Dileja wore a plain white dress that covered her entire body. Her skin was tinted brown, as were her eyes. Her long, black hair was put back in a gold tube that was as long as one hand width, holding the pony tail high on her head. No woman but the Dileja was allowed to wear her hair in any such fashion. It was a symbol of authority. "You have done well for me. If another wakes, do the same. You are dismissed."   
  
Ondine let a sigh of relief. Punishment for bothering the Dileja with unimportant things was severe. Whether or not the Dileja knew of the punishment was unknown. You could never tell what mood she was in by looking at her, nor even speaking to her at times.  
  
"Yes, Dileja," Ondine said, bowing her head and backing away. She stopped, and looked back up for a moment, a question in her mind. The Dileja looked up at her.  
  
"Yes...?"  
  
"May I ask...what is happening on the surface? I'in the surface world...? I know I'm not to ask of that place, but I feel something coming, Dileja," Ondine said.  
  
"What you feel is not something coming, but something that is already here. I can tell you no more until the surfacelanders awaken," the Dileja said. "Leave me, Ondine. I understand your concern and it shows me you are mature enough to question when you believe something to be amiss. But, for now, I have business to attend to and there are things on the surface that need to be thought of."  
  
_______________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Later on.....  
  
Zell sat up and looked down at the bed. Ondine was next to him in a chair, watching over all of the teenagers in the room. All except Zell lay asleep on their small beds. He scratched the back of his neck and rubbed his eyes.  
  
"Where am I?"  
  
Ondine giggled. "You asked me that question once before. Do you not remember the answer?" Zell gave her a questioning look. Then a look of remembrance.  
  
"Oh, yeah.....wait a minute--the bottom of the ocean...?! How-what-who-" He rolled his eyes and fell backward on the bed. "I give up. Stupid necklace. How'd I get here, anyway? And where's Squall and the others?"  
  
"If you're talking about the ones who showed up with you, they're here in this room," she said.   
  
"And why's your hair blue? Never seen blue hair before," Zell commented. "'Cept on Shiva..."  
  
"And I have never seen a marking on anyone's face like that before," Ondine said, touching the tattoo on the side of Zell's face. "What is it?"  
  
"It's called a 'tattoo'," he said. "What's your name?"  
  
"I am Ondine," she answered. "And you, my tattooed friend?"  
  
"Just call me 'Zell'. You didn't answer my question. Why's your hair blue? Did you dye it or something?" he asked.  
  
"Dye? I do not know the word 'dye'. I was born with this color," she said. "I am one of the last of my race, the Articas. That is why I am here, along with few others of my race. We lived on the southern part of the planet, the Artic continent, before it melted and left us with no home. I must return to my race's part of this Temple very soon. I cannot survive in this warm climate for long."  
  
"How did we get here?" Zell inquired, sitting up. He looked around the room at his friends, still unconscious. "And are they going to be alright?"  
  
"They will be fine. They have already awoken once and taken the malista. They should be waking up anytime now," Ondine said.  
  
"What's 'malista'?"  
  
"That is High Centauran for 'recovery water'. It relieves all kinds of ailments, except for fatigue. Your stone was apparently what brought you here. I don't know how, but it would seem that was it. Are you still tired?"  
  
"No," Zell said. "What is this place?"  
  
"This is the Temple of the Lost. A shrine on the bottom of the ocean, protected by magic that no longer exists on the surface. Only the weakest of magics exist there, now. This is all what I have learned in school here. I have never been above the water that surrounds this place, nor even seen a glimpse of its surface. Are you *really* from the surface?"  
  
"Yeah," Zell answered. He had known that Battleship Island existed. But he had never even begun to think that there was something like this at the bottom of the ocean.  
  
"Is it as beautiful as my teachers tell me? I have only heard descriptions from ancient texts," Ondine said.   
  
"It is a beautiful place," Zell said to her. "Nobody really appreciates it, I don't think. Not even I get the time to stop and look at my surroundings." He stopped a moment. "What did you mean 'only the weakest magics exist there, now'? The strongest magic we have is Ultima."  
  
"There is much stronger magic in the world, Zell. If it were ever released into your surface world....." Ondine shook her head. "You would not have a world to live in. It is not my place to tell you any more. If you are not tired, I will take you to see the Dileja and she will tell you what you wish to know."  
  
".....Okay," Zell said and got up. There were no blankets, only a sheet to cover the soft mattress he had slept on. He was still in his regular clothes, how he had been able to sleep in them, he would never know. He took his shoes that lay at the foot of the bed and put them back on. He stood up and stretched. "Let's go see the Dileja." He had no idea what the Dileja was, but he was going to find out. And as soon as his friends were awake, they would figure out how to beat Danda at his own game.  
  
_______________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"It won't be long," the Dileja commented, looking out her window that showed her the bottom of the sea and its creatures. A whale swam past her and she touched the glass. "Not long at all."  
  
"Dileja Lucca, what do you mean?" her servant asked. She wore a plain brown robe with a gold rope ending with a tassel tied around her waist. She looked no older than the Dileja. Her skin, too, was dark and her hair black. Her eyes, however, were the color of amber. Her hair was put back in a braid and extended to the back of her knees.  
  
"Terrible things are happening on the surface," Lucca said. "He will find this place, and lay it to ruin as well. Then no one will be safe."  
  
"Who do you speak of, Dileja? We will find you a safe place to stay if you are in danger," the girl said. The Dileja turned to her, her face sad. She pitied Kildare. She was so young, yet so eager to do more than her part.   
  
"No, Kildare," Lucca said. "Soon there will be no place safe for me. Not even here. We must make use of this time we have now, and not spare a second for anything. Jasper will be released soon."  
  
"The Dark One...?! Oh, Dileja, how is this possible?" Kildare exclaimed. She covered her mouth. The Dark One was the reason the Temple of the Lost was built. He wiped out many races with a wave of his hand. Melted the continent of Artic and sank the Islands of the D'shalu, and destroyed countless other civilizations. No, Jasper's return would not be a welcome one to this world.  
  
"The Stones, Kildare. Jasper has one servant on the surface already; one with the Stone of Dreams. And another, with the Stone of Tears is nearby in a town called Dollet. And yet another, with the Stone of the Heart, is here within this very Temple. We must keep the Stones from that servant on the surface. The ones who came here are our only defense. They must be given the keys to our magic, the ancient magic. That is the only way to beat Jasper's servant. I watched their first confrontation with him, and the strongest magic that exists on the surface, Ultima, did nothing to him. They must be given the Ancient magics and their weapons made stronger."  
  
"But, Dileja, that magic is not....safe in the hands of surface dwellers. There must be another way to--"  
  
"There *is* no other way! Their weapons and magic did nothing to Danda! I have seen his coming for nearly 1,000 years and this is the beginning of what is known in ancient texts as 'The Darks', *unless* we stop Danda *where* he stands!!!" Lucca said. She calmed herself, and shut the curtains to the large window.   
  
"Dileja?" a voice said at the front of the room.  
  
Lucca turned to look at the voice, and saw it was Ondine's. A blonde boy stood behind her, peeking out from behind her shoulders. "Yes, Ondine. I will see him now."  
  
***********************************************************************************************  
  
Chapter 8's coming soon, hopefully! My parents are dragging me camping for four days. *shudder* I'll be back.  
  
Sergeant Phoenix  
  
PS   
This is just a quick lesson on military customs and courtesies. For people who don't care, you don't have to read this. It just bugs me when people mock the organization I'm in. If you've been to my pathetic little homepage, you know I'm in the Civil Air Patrol, the Auxilary of the US Air Force. I get it all the time at school. 'Hey, soldier!' and 'Atten-hut!' every time I walk down the hall with my uniform on. People mock-saluting me kind of gets on my nerves. You probably don't mean anything by it, it just bugs me. I knew I was asking for it when I changed my pen name, but oh well. There's nothing wrong with saluting someone, as long as you mean it. The salute is a show of respect.  
  
I'm not being mean or anything, but I'm not a 'sir'. I am female. And even if I was male, you wouldn't call me 'sir' yet, because I'm not an officer. You would call me 'Sergeant'. I'm finished with my little speech, guys. I'm really needing some help on my homepage. I can't figure out how to post stories! Call me stupid, but I can't figure out how to do it. Somebody help!!! Thanks. 


	8. Building of Strength

Legal stuff:  
The following characters belong to me: Ondine, Kildare, Lucca, D'ken, Jasper, and Danda. If anyone wants to use them, go ahead, just give me credit for them, okay? The Temple of the Lost belongs to me, too. Anything you haven't seen before (i.e. weapons, etc.) all belong to me, unless otherwise noted. The journeybooks belong to Terry Goodkind.   
  
************************************************************************************************  
  
Chapter 8--Building of Strength   
  
"Who are you?" Zell asked. "And how did I get here?"  
  
The woman walked over to him. She looked to the mage guards who stood at her door. You didn't notice them unless you were told they were there, because they were stayed invisible. "Guards," the Dileja said plainly.  
  
They materialized and took a step forward. They were dressed plainly in green robes with daggers at their belts and no more. That was a wizard's last line of defense, should his ability to cast spells wane. They were allowed to carry a small dagger and nothing more.  
  
"Leave us, please," Lucca said to them. They bowed to her and backed away to the door. They withdrew from the room, leaving Zell, Ondine, and the Dileja.  
  
"Now, as for who I am, I am Dileja Lucca of this Temple," Lucca said to him. "I am, as you would call me, the headmistress of this place and I always have been, ever since it was created thousands of years ago by Hyne to protect the many races that once swarmed this planet. The Artics to the south and the D'shalu to the east. The Tymarna's to the west and the Folstza's to the north. They all used to exist in great numbers on this planet until he came."  
  
"Who do you mean 'he'?" Zell asked.  
  
"The Dark One, Jasper. The one who destroyed them," Lucca said.  
  
"Okay, now how did I get here?"  
  
"Your Stone brought you here. That is one of the three Stones of the Ancient World. It brought you here because that was what your heart wanted," Lucca explained. "You see, the Stone you have is the Stone of the Heart."  
  
"Because that was what my heart wanted? What do you mean?"  
  
"You saw your friends in danger and all you wanted was to take them to the safest place in the world. You didn't know that it was here. The Stone simply did what you wanted it to," Lucca said. "That Stone you bear is the most dangerous of the three Stones."  
  
"So, it's the most powerful?" Zell asked, lifting his necklace into his hand and looking at it. "This little Stone?"  
  
"No."  
  
Zell was taken aback by her statement. He looked up in surprise. "What do you mean '*no*'?? You just said it was the most dangerous!"  
  
"That's what I said. But I didn't say it was the most powerful, I said it was the most dangerous. The human heart is a dangerous thing. More powerful than any weapon in the world. That power only needs a way to be let out, to be utilized and this Stone is the outlet," Lucca explained, walking to her picture window. Zell and Ondine followed her, listening intently. "It carries out your inner most wishes, no matter how honorable....or wicked....they might be. In the hands of an evil man, that Stone would be the death of the world. And even in the hands of a righteous man, it is still the most dangerous thing in the world, because even a righteous man is capable of evil thoughts. It is a sin to believe evil of others, but it is seldom a mistake."   
  
**Author's note: that last sentence is quoted from H.L. Mencken, 1880-1956, American journalist.  
  
Zell took the Stone from his neck and held it out in his hand toward the Dileja. "Let someone else take it. I don't trust myself with it," he stated, shaking his head.  
  
"No sane man would, Zell....no sane man would trust himself with such power," Lucca told him as she watched the bottom of the sea from the window. Zell gazed out the window. He gasped as he thought he saw the shadow of something that looked half human.  
  
"Was that a--"  
  
"A Mermaid? You call them that on the surface, but they call themselves Merrows. You would do well to remember that. Only a person who knows the true name of that people will receive help from them. They do not trust surfacelanders. Yet, some have saved people on the surface from drowning. There are peoples on this planet, Zell, that no one has seen in hundreds of years, but their numbers are dwindling. There was even once a kingdom that floated in the sky, but it gone now, sunken into the ocean. Elves, Dwarves, Faeries....they all exist and as with everything, some are evil, some are good. And Dragons? They are sorely misrepresented. You will find a friend in the Dragon of the North, D'ken. He is very old and very kind. But, he will not ally himself with just anyone. You may take him this." The Dileja took off a necklace whose charm was hidden inside her dress. It was a tooth that had a hole inside it, hanging on a string of burlap. "He knows me and you will find shelter with him, should you need it."  
  
"I'd like to see how my friends are doing now," Zell said, fidgeting with his feet. Squall was going to give him hell and he knew it. He was going to get scolded. He hated getting scolded. It always made him feel horrible. He remembered when the Dincht's adopted him and he did something he wasn't supposed to, he would always say 'just give me a whipping and forget the lecture, *please*, Ma....?' But, he always got the lecture instead and he went to bed feeling guilty.  
  
But, he was going to have to face the music this time and take it. He just hoped Squall wasn't going to be too mad at him.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"You're going to apologize to him, Squall," Rinoa demanded, crossing her arms. Squall stood with his back to her and his friends and let her talk. "I told you we weren't finished. But, we will be if you don't apologize to him." Squall turned around, an eyebrow raised.  
  
"Just what *exactly* do you mean 'but, we will be if you don't apologize to him'?" Squall asked her.  
  
"I meant what I said. You have gotten me that angry, Squall. Angry enough to break up with you if you don't apologize."  
  
"God, Rinoa, I didn't say I wasn't going to apologize to him! I know I was too harsh, I know that, but I wasn't thinking," Squall said. It was true and he knew it. He hadn't been thinking at all at the bridge. It was like he had been in battle mode or something and wasn't able to turn it off.   
  
Squall put his hand on his forehead. "Rinoa, I....[sigh]...I made him stay because I didn't want him getting hurt. The prophecy was the second reason. Maybe the reason Zell didn't see himself in the prophecy was because if he was there, he would have died. I didn't want him to get killed. He's the one with the Stone. Maybe no one else can use it. We need that advantage of being able to see the prophecies before they happen."  
  
"We know why you made him stay, Squall. It was just the way you tried to get it across to him, you were just.....cruel," Quistis said to him from her small bed. She sat on it, looking at him from there.  
  
"I'll apologize to him. But, not because you guys want me to," Squall said. "I'll do it because I'm sorry."  
  
"We know you're sorry," Irvine commented. "Now apologize to him."  
  
Squall reached over and knocked his cowboy hat to the floor.  
  
"Hey! Did I mention that's a new hat...?!" he said, retrieving it from the floor.  
  
The large double doors that led to the hall opened, revealing Zell, Ondine, and the Dileja, she, of course, entering last. The doors were shut again by the guards in brown robed who had followed them. It was their job to protect the Dileja with their lives if necessary.  
  
Lucca stopped in front of Squall. "I am the Dileja of this Temple. You may call me Lucca." The guards gasped at this. No one was permitted to call the Dileja by her birth name unless her title came before it. "They are outsiders," she said to the guards. "They may call me by my name. You may not. Ondine, Kildare, you will be going with them on their journey."  
  
"But, D...Dileja...I cannot survive in warm temperatures....How will I....?" Ondine said, concerned.   
  
"There is a necklace that will enable you to do that, Ondine," Lucca said. "I would not send you if I were sure you would perish. You will go as well, Kildare. With your combined knowledge of the ancient world, you will be able to assist them."  
  
They bowed. "Yes, Dileja."  
  
"Come with me," Lucca said, she motioned for the guards to open the doors. They opened silently and they all left the room, entering the hallway. It had no carpet, only white marble tile. Their footsteps echoed throughout the temple.   
  
"Why is it so quiet? If there are so many people here, why aren't we seeing any?" Zell asked, looking around at the ceiling and the white columns that lined the wall.  
  
"We are at the bottom level of this Temple," Ondine said. "My people are on the next level up. But, there is no time for a tour, if my understanding is correct, Dileja?"  
  
Lucca nodded. "Yes. There is no time for such formalities. These will be trying times for you all."  
  
As they approached the end of the hallway, Squall saw a blue light on the floor and a red light next to it. They were both big enough for all of them to stand on and there were sparkles coming up from them.  
  
"The blue one takes us up. The red one will take us to the Sacred Hall. There, you will find new weapons, new magic, and items that might assist you. But it has not been visited for nearly 1,000 years. Me, myself hasn't even been there in that time," the Dileja said. "Go. I will unlock the way for you." Lucca touched the panel on the wall over the light. She closed her eyes and began to chant in the language that they all recognized as High Centauran. The language of magic.  
  
The red light flickered and turned to yellow.  
  
"Go. Take what you think you will need. You'll find the spell to return here in a book on a desk there," Lucca said. "Guards, return with me to my chambers, please."   
  
The entire party, minus the Dileja and her guards, stepped on the yellow panel and disappeared. Lucca turned around and began to walk with her guards back the way they had come. She was silent a moment, pondering the events that were to come. Lucca knew that the Book to the End of Days was in friendly hands on the surface and that that person was deciphering it even as she was thinking of this. Whether the Book would stay in those friendly hands or not was unknown to her.  
  
She spoke aloud, her voice echoing through the hall.  
  
"If He finds it.....*Heaven* help us...."  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
  
"These books are in our language..." Squall said, startled.  
  
"No, these are in High Centauran. They can be read by anyone, regardless of language. They *are* magic books, after all," Ondine corrected, holding a leatherbound book in her hands.  
  
The dark room was filled with bookshelves, covered with dust an inch thick.  
  
"It is my understanding that, on the surface, with magic there is a...draw system...? You draw magic from certain points, er fountains and monsters?" Kildare said uncertainly. She knew next to nothing about the surface world.  
  
"Yes," Quistis said. She rubbed the dust from a book between her fingers, letting it drift slowly to the floor.  
  
"That is not how it works here, with this magic," Ondine stated, lifting a book from the shelf. "You read these spells and then you have the magic to use as many times as you want. You simply say the name of the spell loudly and it executes itself automatically. There is a catch: a person can only use two types of magic and they have to be compatable with each other. One will use fire and earth, another lightning and wind, and another water and curative magic, etc. You cannot study combinations like fire and water because they are incompatable. And then there are magics that stand alone. Such as Pearl magic. Those can only be used alone."  
  
"Wow, this is completely different than what we have on the surface," Selphie exclaimed. "Lucca said we'd find new weapons down here. What about them?"  
  
"In time," Kildare said. "Those weapons are sacred. You must be patient."  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Later...  
  
"Your weapon, Selphie, is the Morning Star. This has death magic. Whatever mortal thing you hit with this will perish," Kildare said, handing the solid black nunchaku to her. It had what resembled maces on each end, while a white dragon flew up each handle. Selphie gasped in amazement.  
  
"This is....oh wow...."  
  
"Irvine, this is your gun, Orion. You will not miss with this." Kildare handed him the black rifle. He took it in his hands and turned it, looking it over.  
  
"Rinoa, your's is the Halo of Truth. This is infused with Holy magic," Kildare said. Rinoa took the golden ring from her and latched it to her launcher she wore on her arm.  
  
"Quistis, this belongs to you," Ondine said, holding out in front of her a maroon whip with a neon green dragon engraved around the handle. The tip of the whip itself was full of barbs. "It is the Dragon's Tail. The barbs will anchor to anything you want it to."  
  
"Squall...your gunblade," Ondine said, unwrapping it from a protective cloth. The cloth dropped to the floor, revealing a deep purple blade. Again, a white dragon showed itself on the handle. "Premonition."  
  
"Why so many dragons?" Squall asked, running his finger along the blade.  
  
"Dragons were sacred to the Centra civilization, the people who forged these weapons," Kildare said. "Centaurans were never attacked by dragons, while other peoples were because they hunted dragons and killed their young while they were still in their eggs. Many dragons have lost the ability to talk because of this. Some do, if you would listen and give them a chance by not attacking them."  
  
"And your weapon, Zell, is this." Ondine held out a pair of black gloves with a red dragon on the back. "The Desert Rose."  
  
"He gets a 'Premonition' and I get a 'Desert Rose'? Man..."  
  
"Well, you *are* one of a kind...." Selphie giggled.  
  
"Now, each of you state your magic affinity so that everyone knows who has what," Kildare said.  
  
"Curative and Water," Selphie stated proudly.  
  
"Fire and Earth," Quistis said.  
  
"Lightning and Wind," Rinoa sang.  
  
"Death and Dark," Squall said in his usual monotone voice.  
  
"Pearl," Irvine said, shouldering his new gun.  
  
"Nonelemental and physical," Zell said.  
  
"Only one with curative? You're lucky that Ondine and I both have curative magic affinity," Kildare chided. "Whatever you read in each of those books, you have memorized. You need not go back and read it again."  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"That is everything I told Zell before I saw the rest of you," Lucca said to Squall. She turned to Ondine, taking a gold necklace from her pocket. "Ondine, take this necklace. It will protect you from the effects of warm temperatures," Lucca said, a simple gold chain around her neck.  
  
"Thank you, Dileja," Ondine said.   
  
"You must find this girl, Naomi Hansen, and protect her at all costs, whether she wants to have anything to do with you or not," Lucca said. "She is in Dollet."  
  
"How do you know that?" Irvine asked suspiciously.  
  
"I simply know. I have been around for 1,400 years. I understand your curiosity, but there is no time for me to explain such things," Lucca said. She reached inside her desk and took out two small, leatherbound books. She handed one to Squall.  
  
"This is a journeybook," Lucca explained. "You write in this and I will receive whatever you wrote in its twin. We can communicate with these. I will have this with me at all times. You have everything you need. Go northeast and find D'ken. He will help you."  
  
"Is everyone ready to go?" Zell asked.  
  
"Ready," Ondine and Kildare said at the same time.   
  
"Everyone hold hands," Zell said. Everyone grasped each other's hands, forming a circle.  
  
"Godspeed," Lucca blessed.  
  
"Exit!" Zell shouted, visualizing where he wanted to be.  
  
And they were gone.  



	9. Waiting

Absolutely nothing major happens in this chapter until the end. I thought this chapter disappointing personally..... Chapter 10 looks promising from what I've got so far, though....Next chapter'll be better, promise!!  
  
Sgt. Phoenix  
  
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Chapter 9--Waiting  
  
"So....what do we do once we find D'ken?" Selphie asked, sitting in the pilot's seat of the Ragnarok. "I mean, how many places are there a dragon can hide for a couple millenia?"  
  
"I don't know. Lucca didn't say she knew where he was. She just said 'go northeast and find D'ken'," Zell said. He reached in his pocket and pulled out the tooth that the Dileja had given him. "She gave me this to show him so he'd help us. You know all the faerie stories we were told as kids at the orphanage? They exist. She told me everything. Mermaids, elves, goblins, dwarves, *everything*."  
  
"We would do well to try and ally ourselves with each race that still exists," Kildare said, glancing at Ondine. She was still staring out the window, having never seen clouds and sunshine before. Her fingers were seemingly glued to the glass.  
  
"How do we do that, Kildare?" Squall asked, perplexed. "How are we supposed to find them?"  
  
"D'ken will help us," Kildare stated. "Believe it or not, dragons have a significant influence over peoples of the ancient world, especially the wood elves. And Leviathan has allied himself with you, has he not? If that is true, the Merrows will more than likely sway to our cause. Not to mention the fact that if Jasper *is* released, it spells certain doom for them. Jasper has a unique hatred for them, no one knows why."  
  
"The king of the elves is who we should find first, after we find D'ken," Ondine said, practically having to pry herself from the window. She kept stealing glances at it while she was talking. "The elves will make powerful allies against Danda and his minions."  
  
"Minions? The only minions we saw were Garden students," Irvine said, his usual southern drawl standing out against the other voices in the room.  
  
"Oh, don't think that he won't enlist some of the more evil and mischievious races to help him," Kildare said.   
  
"Like who?"  
  
"Spriggans, goblins, pixies, Redcaps, and the like," Ondine explained. "Most won't attack us directly, but they will make life hard for us while we travel. Stealing things, sabotaging the ship, giving us horrible nightmares, and a number of things other than that. But, with the right protection against them, we should be fine."  
  
"Spriggans? Redcaps? What are those?" Rinoa asked innocently.  
  
"Spriggans are skilled thieves who are small in size, but they can inflate themselves to make you think they are bigger than they are. They can cause whirlwinds that destroy crops and have been known to steal human babies and leave a baby Spriggan in its place. They are very, very repulsive in appearance," Kildare said, her face wrinkling in distaste. "Redcaps are a different story. Redcaps are mean creatures who, like their name implies, wear red caps. They carry axes and have large noses. They color their caps red with blood. We don't want to come upon them. It would be better for us to run if we see any."  
  
"We need to go back to Garden," Zell said, wondering how Dani was faring with translating the Book. There was this fatigue running through him that he couldn't explain. He sat in one of the many seats in the cockpit, sitting doubled over with his arms crossed over his stomach. He didn't look up at his friends as he spoke. "I left the Book with Dani; she's translating it for us."  
  
Irvine knelt down in front of him. "Are you alright?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm alright, just tired, still," Zell lied. He knew he wasn't alright. If he'd been standing up, his knees would have been wobbling. If he could have stood up in the first place, that is. He didn't want anyone to worry about him; everyone had enough on their minds as it was. He remembered Squall telling him he could have a seizure if he gave a prophecy, but he couldn't tell if that was what was wrong or if he was just tired.   
  
"Your face...you're so pale," Rinoa commented. "You need to go lie down and go to sleep."  
  
"Come on," Irvine said, taking his hand. "Me an' Squall'll take you down there and stay with you."  
  
"I feel miserable..." Zell said, trying to stand up. He supported himself by holding onto the back of the chair, his legs trembling just as he predicted.  
  
"C'mon," Squall said, putting his arm around Zell to help him stand. "Down to the bunks with you." Zell pulled out the necklace from under his shirt. It was glowing dimly, the light brightest in the center.  
  
"Oh, God...that's what it is," Zell whispered. "A prophecy...It's like the Stone's preparing me for it or something...."  
  
"What do we do...?" Rinoa said.  
  
"We can't do anything but put him somewhere safe, like down in the barracks," Squall said, helping Zell to the lift. Irvine followed, standing to Zell's left.  
  
"You girls stay here. We'll take care of him," Irvine said. He pressed the 'down' button on the elevator and it started to sink into the floor. Selphie blew him a kiss from the pilot's seat. He waved back to her and pressed two fingers to his lips, holding them out to her.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"What do we do about Seifer, Raijin, and Fujin?" Irvine asked Squall as they helped their friend down the stairs.  
  
"We need to find them and pick them up," Squall said. "Just so we can keep an eye on them. We don't need them out screwing everything up."  
  
They reached the bottom of the stairs and Zell's legs gave way. Squall and Irvine caught him and helped him stand again. Zell grasped the side of his head, closing his eyes.  
  
"God, everything's spinning....."  
  
"It's just a little further," Irvine comforted. "You just need to lie down."  
  
They helped him walk through the entrance to the barracks and Squall pressed the button next to the first door. Zell lied down on the bed and shut his eyes.  
  
"Are you still dizzy?" Squall asked him, sitting down in a chair by the bed.  
  
"It's getting better," Zell replied, out of breath.   
  
Squall looked down at the floor. "Look, Zell, I...I'm sorry about what happened at the bridge. I just lost it, I didn't mean anything I said up there. About Trabia and Timber, I didn't mean that."  
  
"I know. Don't worry about it, I understand," Zell said, closing his eyes again. "Just let me go to sleep and we'll call it even, okay?"  
  
"Done."  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"Hey, use the camera and zoom in on that truck on the highway," Selphie said to Quistis who was sitting in the co-pilot's seat.   
  
"That looks like the truck Seifer rented in...*Dollet*!!" Quistis exclaimed as the camera slowly zoomed in on it as it moved. "It had a cling-on on the windshield that said 'Dollet Rent-a-Car'. Maybe we can go back there and see if we can find anything on this girl Naomi."  
  
"But, we have to find D'Ken first!" Kildare protested, putting her hands on her hips.  
  
"But," Rinoa said, sitting to the left of Selphie,"we had better pick them up. We're going to need all the help we can get."  
  
Quistis brought the great airship down to the ground on the highway, bringing the truck to a screeching halt just inches from the ship's hull. Seifer saw the cargo door open, but he hesitated.  
  
"Now, what exactly the hell do they want?" he asked no one in particular.  
  
"GO," Fujin said, pointing to the open door. "SAFE."  
  
"What do you mean 'safe'?" Seifer inquired, leaning on the steering wheel and looking at her. "You don't think we're safe on our own?"  
  
"CURIOUS," Fujin corrected herself. You had to interpret what Fujin was saying because of her speech impediment. It was hard to tell what she meant at times. She spoke in short thoughts and feelings instead of complete sentences. "FEEL UNEASY. SOMETHING COMING. BAD."  
  
"I feel it, too, ya know," Raijin said, backing her up.  
  
"Alright, alright, you whiners," Seifer said, putting the truck into gear and driving inside the cargo hangar.  
  
The three of them got out of the truck and looked around the cargo hangar.  
  
"This is a bigger ship than it looks from the outside," Seifer commented as he gazed at the stairway and the off-road vehicles that were there: Squall's black jeep, Zell's neon green 4-wheeler, and Irvine's bright red truck. They could go anywhere and do nearly anything with the three vehicles. But, of course, Zell still owed Squall 500 Gil for helping him to pay for the 4-wheeler.   
  
Irvine came out of the barracks to see what was going on and why they had landed.  
  
"Hey, cowboy, nice digs," Seifer said, indicating the inside of the ship.  
  
"Thanks, now what's going on?"  
  
"You tell me. Last I remember I was being promised the low-down on everything after you got finished at Galbadia Garden," Seifer told him. He flung his gray jacket back in his usual manner and threw his gunblade up on his shoulder.  
  
(Haughty b****rd...) Irvine thought bitterly. "Go up to the cockpit. You'll get your explanation there. Squall's busy at the moment."  
  
"Doing what?" Seifer asked curiously. "And where's chickenwuss at? Still at Garden?"  
  
"Actually, after being given orders not to, he followed us here in the Ragnarok. He's not such a chickenwuss after all, now is he?" Irvine asked. He hated it when Seifer called Squall, Zell, and him names. He had no idea where 'chickenwuss' came from or 'puberty boy', for that matter. He, on the other hand, did look like a cowboy and he didn't mind being called that.  
  
"There's a difference between bravery and loyalty, cowboy. He's only got one of the two. And where's Squall?"  
  
"That's none of your business right now. Just go up to the cockpit and you'll find out what's going on," Irvine said, turning to go back to the barracks. Seifer, Raijin, and Fujin followed him. Irvine pressed the button that allowed him access to the barracks. The door slid open and Irvine stepped inside, letting it close quickly behind him.  
  
Seifer pressed the same button, but to his misfortune, nothing happened.  
  
"It's locked, Seifer," Irvine said from the other side of the metallic door. "Go up to the cockpit. You don't need to be down here."  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
***Squall's POV***  
  
"How's he doing?" Irvine asked me as the door slid open. I still sat on the bed next to Zell with my hand on his shoulder watching him sleep. Zell was curled up in a ball facing away from the door. I took his hand from Zell's shoulder and took my gloves off to feel of his cheeks. I gasped slightly at what I felt.  
  
"Irvine, get a cold rag," I said to Irvine. He went over to the small cabinet and took out a black washcloth and ran cold water over it in the sink until it was soaked. He wrung most of the water out of it and handed it to me.   
  
I wiped Zell's face off gently while Irvine sat down in the chair next to the bed. The pillow was soaked with sweat.   
  
"He's got a fever," I said to Irvine, holding the rag in my hand. "He was fine when you went into the hangar, but now..."  
  
"What about the necklace?" Irvine asked me. "Is it glowing anymore?"  
  
I took the chain of the necklace and brought the Stone up so I could see it. It was glowing only a little brighter than before. "Just a little bit more," I said to him. "Why did we land?" I let the Stone drop from my hand and back to the bed.  
  
"It seems the girls read our minds. They picked up Seifer, Raijin, and Fujin," Irvine said to me. "I sent them up to the cockpit. I locked the door to the barracks so they won't be down here."  
  
"Good. There's no reason for him to be--"  
  
Zell started trembling. I looked down at him and his blue eyes were open wide.  
  
"S'Squall....it's happening, I feel it...." he said and swallowed hard. Sweat was already building back up on his face and I wiped it away. He breathed deep for air like he had something lodged in his throat. I bent over and put my arms around him, hoping to hold him down. I had seen seizures before and he could get violent or hurt himself if he wasn't controlled.   
  
"Just hold on, it'll be over soon," I comforted, not knowing what else to do for him. I could only hold onto him and wait for it to happen.  
  
************************************************************************************************  
  
Sorry for the cliffhanger, folks. I'll try to get chapter 10 up real soon, okay?  
  
Sgt. Phoenix  
  
  



	10. On the Road Once Again

Sorry this is so late getting up. I've had problems and problems with this chapter on my disc that I had it saved on. I had to retype the whole thing from memory this past weekend. So here it is.  
  
************************************************************************************************  
  
Chapter 10--On the Road Once Again  
  
***Zell's POV***  
  
The light....  
  
God, there's so much light....  
  
I couldn't see anything it was so bright. All around me there was nothing but pure white, slamming into my eyes and blinding me. Where am I...?  
  
Where will I go from here.....?  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"Irvine, get his legs!" Squall yelled, holding onto Zell's upper body.   
  
Zell's body was jerking, trying to break free of his friend's grip. Irvine grabbed his legs and pinned them down to the bed.  
  
"How long is this going to last?" he asked. He was holding down Zell's legs, while they still protested their bondage. Squall looked down and watched his face turn from one emotion to another, his eyes wide open. That was unnerving, even for Squall Leonhart. He could have handled it if his eyes were shut, but they were wide open, not seeing anything but the vision.  
  
"I don't know," Squall replied. "It could last anywhere from five to ten minutes."  
  
"God...." Irvine said, watching Zell. "What is he seeing....?"  
  
"I wish I knew," Squall answered. "But, he's not making a sound....I'd rather have him screaming and crying instead of this. It's just....unnatural." Zell's arm muscles started to convulse, contracting and relaxing rapidly. Squall held onto him as tight as he could, trying to keep him from hurting himself. "God protect him...."  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"There's a cave..." Selphie said, looking out over the cold reaches of the Trabian Ocean. "It's not on the map, either," she explained, looking at the Ragnarok's map on the monitor. She zoomed in on the cave with the ship's outer camera, hoping to get a better picture. Out in the northeast was a small island with a cave set in a large single mountain.  
  
"That's it," Ondine said, pointing at the monitor. "It has to be."  
  
"Well, we won't have long to get in there and get out," Quistis said from her seat near the back of the cockpit. "Our radar is showing an intense storm to the southwest. It'll hit us in about an hour and a half. We have to get in and get out, and get airborne or we'll get stuck here."  
  
"How cold is it out there?" Ondine asked.   
  
"It's about -35 degrees," Quistis said.   
  
"Geez, that's cold," Rinoa complained, crossing her arms. "Do we have to go out in that?"  
  
"If we want to go see D'Ken, I guess so. And you certainly can't go outside in that," Quistis said, looking at Rinoa's skimpy outfit. "C'mon, everybody, down to the supply room. There should be some extra coats and pairs of boots we can wear outside."  
  
"I'm going down to the barracks to see if Squall, Irvine, and Zell want to go. With Zell the way he is right now, I don't know if he'll be able to go out," Rinoa said, walking over to the lift. She pressed the button and the small elevator carried her down through the hole to the first floor.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Squall sat on the bed next to Zell. He was unconscious, but his body had calmed down considerably. Irvine sat down in the chair next to him and took his cowboy hat off. He put his hands together and leaned forward.  
  
"Is he gonna be alright?"   
  
"He should be just fine," Squall answered. He was about to speak again, but was interupted by the intercom.  
  
#"Hey, you guys, let me in!!"#  
  
"That's Rinoa," Squall said, looking at the small speaker next to the door. "Go let her in."  
  
Irvine put his hat back on and walked out the door. He never went anywhere without his hat on. He came back in a second later, with Rinoa following behind him.  
  
"We found the cave," she said and then saw Zell on the bed. "Did he...I mean, did it happen? Is he okay?"  
  
"He'll be fine after he wakes up," Squall said. He stood up. "You found the cave?"  
  
"Yeah, we found it. Quistis says we'll have to get in and get out as quick as we can to miss a storm that's southeast of us. It'll hit in about an hour and a half and we have to get out or we'll get stuck," Rinoa said.   
  
"We're not all going," Squall said. "We can't risk it, no matter how friendly Lucca says D'Ken is. Irvine, you and Selphie'll stay here. Selphie has to stay and pilot the ship because I want Quistis with me. You'll stay down here and keep an eye on Zell."  
  
"I have to go get changed," Rinoa said, turning to go back out in the hallway. "Quistis said it's -35 degrees outside!"  
  
"You're staying here," Squall said tonelessly. "I don't want you out there."  
  
"You don't want me--? Why not?! I'm just as able as Quistis is to fight!!" Rinoa exclaimed, outraged at the mere thought of being inferior to someone like Quistis.  
  
"I'm not discriminating, Rinoa. I know you're just as able as Quistis is and there's no one I'd rather fight beside than you, but I need you to stay here with the others, with Selphie," Squall explained, trying not to get angry. "You know what I would do better than anyone else and if anything happens to me, I need you to take care of things."  
  
"Okay, but nothing's gonna happen," she corrected him. She raised herself up on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. "Not to *my* lion."  
  
"We'll discuss pet names for each other when I get back," Squall replied. "But, for now, I have to go and get a thicker outfit on."  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Squall, Seifer, Fujin, Ondine, and Quistis walked down through the ice cavern, looking around. Fujin simply would not stay in the Ragnarok unless Seifer stayed, too. Seifer knew how she got when she didn't get her way, so he let her come. Squall had split up the entire group for safety's sake, not wanting everyone in the same place at the same time.  
  
Crystal and ice together lined the inside of the cave, the crystal turning it into a hall of mirrors. Seifer, of course, had to stop. He fixed his hair and didn't realize the rest of the group was far ahead of him. Squall looked back to make sure he had everyone.  
  
"Come on, mirror boy! Catch up!"  
  
Seifer turned and looked where the voice had come from, his face scarlet red with indignation. "I've got half a mind to--"  
  
"That's all you have is half a mind, now come on!" Quistis yelled, her voice echoing through the cave's tunnels. (What am I going to do with him....?) she thought. She put her new whip around her neck, her fingers stroking the tip. She cursed as she finally pricked her finger on the sharp barbed end.   
  
"D'Ken...?" Ondine called, looking around. It was nearly impossible to tell one tunnel from another because of all the ice and crystal. "We request your presence...!"  
  
"Who summons me?!" an accented voice boomed, so loudly in fact, that icicles fell from the ceiling, exploding into shards as they hit the ground. The group dodged them the best they could, pulling each other out of the way of the largest ones.  
  
"My name is Ondine, sire...my friends and I wish to speak with you," Ondine said. "We came here by the blessing of the Dileja Lucca. She sent us here for guidance."  
  
"If such is true, lay your weapons on the altar and back away. Then, I will show myself you you," the voice said. It was a very refined voice, sounding like it would belong to a rich person and not to a dragon.  
  
(Altar?) Squall thought, confused. (There's no altar--)  
  
The ice on the floor extended up to construct a knee-high platform. Quistis placed her whip on the ice platform and others followed, being wary of their surroundings. They looked around while they backed away. Seifer was the last to put his weapon down, mumbling something about 'being unarmed'.  
  
Suddenly, icicles fell from the ceiling again with no sound to make them fall.   
  
"That's an impact tremor," Quistis said shakily. She didn't like not having a weapon. She didn't like it at all.  
  
A skeleton appeared out of the darkness of the tunnel in front of them, a shield clutched in its flesh deprived fingers. The girls screamed.  
  
"If you've come to kill me, I'd leave! And if you have proof of the Dileja's blessing in that you were sent here by her, place it on the altar!"  
  
Squall took out the large tooth that he had taken from Zell's room before he left. He tossed it onto the altar.  
  
A large cerulean blue dragon appeared from the darkness, ivory spikes rolling down his back to the tip of his tail. The tail resembled an double-headed ax. He had several horns on the top of his head, but none so large as the two above his eyes. There were ridges under his yellow-orange eyes that faded to white.  
  
He stepped in front of the altar, blocking the group from their weapons and he lied down on his belly. Propping his chin up in his 'hand', he looked around the group, obviously amused.   
  
"Well, well," he said, chuckling. "Aren't you a funny-looking group of humans. I haven't seen one in centuries, so that would explain why you look funny, wouldn't it? Now, what business do you have with me?"  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"And that's how we came to be here," Squall explained. D'Ken lay on his back, staring at the ceiling of the cave. White smoke came out of his nostrils as he breathed and he turned over onto his side to face the group once again. He propped his chin up in his clawed hand and watched the group through slit eyes.  
  
"Hmmm.....You know," D'Ken said calmly, drawing circles in the ice with a claw, "I should eat the lot of you."  
  
The group jumped back at this, becoming defensive. D'Ken didn't look up from his drawing.  
  
"I mean, you invade my home and my privacy all for some silly crusade against evil that took place once over a few millenia ago," he said. "But, what bothers me the most is that although I just said I should eat you, you still stand there and listen to me, unafraid of what I might do. You humans are weird creatures. If I were in your position, I would be running as fast as I could out the way I had come. But, instead you stand here and wait. Why?" The blue dragon asked.   
  
"We can't let this happen," Kildare said. "You're our only hope at getting help."  
  
"Hmm...true...true," D'Ken admitted. "If Jasper is released, then I guess that I would be out of a home, wouldn't you say? Therefore, I have no option but to help you. I will find my three brothers and meet with them over this matter. Meanwhile, you will go to the Chocobo Holy Forest and speak with the Chocobo Mothers. They will open the way to the Elven Kingdom. Once there, speak with the King. But, in Grandidi Forest, beware of Nicnivin."  
  
"Who is Nicnivin?" Quistis asked, adjusting the hood on her large fur coat. It indeed was cold outside.  
  
"Nicnivin is the Queen of the Unseen Court and also Queen of the Bad Faeries. She is harmful most of the time, but can be unusually and unexpectedly helpful. She will judge whether you pass through her part of the forest or not. You must pass through her part to get to the Chocobo Holy Forest and get the Chocobo Mothers to speak to you. You must have passed her before they will talk to you," D'Ken explained to them. "Otherwise, they are ordinary chocobos that only say 'wark'."  
  
"We understand," Squall said.   
  
"We had better all get a move on," D'Ken said, listening to the wind begin to howl outside. "I must get airborne and so must you. The storm is almost here."  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"Ohhhhh......." Selphie squealed in frustration and watching out the window as the wind blew snow around so much the cave couldn't be seen. She started to pace back and forth in the cockpit. "Where *are* they....?!"  
  
"We must leave them! We will never get out of here in time if we don't leave now!" Kildare declared.  
  
"We can't leave them!" Rinoa told her forcefully. "They'll be here soon, I know it...."  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Outside the Ragnarok....  
  
"C'mon," Squall yelled behind him. The group had formed a line, holding hands so no one would get left behind. Seifer was at the tail end of the line, making sure everyone stayed together. Ondine fell and he grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her up.   
  
"C'mon, Ondine," Seifer said. "There's the ship." He pointed up ahead where the exterior lights of the Ragnarok could be seen. One red light up at the nose of the ship shone lighter than the rest.  
  
They reached the ship's hangar door and Squall gripped the handle. He turned it and the door slid open, letting them inside. After everyone was inside Squall shut the door. He turned to Seifer.   
  
"Do we have everyone?"  
  
"Of course," Seifer said with is trademark smirk attached to the statement. Squall pressed the button on the intercom and spoke.  
  
"Selphie, get us outta here!"  
  
#"Gotcha! Up, up, up and away we go!!"#  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"How are we gonna get inside Grandidi Forest? Chocobos are the only way and they won't go anywhere in the storm up north," Seifer said. Everyone sat at a large round table in the briefing room in the Ragnarok. Selphie had parked the ship on a ridge just above the Chocobo Holy Forest. The ship was a fortress; no one got in or out without her knowing it.  
  
"We'll just have to get creative, then," Zell said. He had woken up just after the group had gotten back from D'Ken's cave. He hadn't told anyone what he had seen and they hadn't asked. They knew he would tell them when the time was right.  
  
"Why not go and get chocobos from other forests and bring them with us on the ship?" Irvine suggested, leaning back in his chair. He yawned. His cowboy hat covered his face, blocking the light that was over the table. He was tired and wanted to go to sleep. He crossed his arms over his chest and started to doze.  
  
"That would definitely solve a problem," Quistis admitted, but then leaned forward, propping herself up on the table with her elbow. "But, we don't have time to catch them ourselves. Catching chocobos takes time and money, no less."  
  
"What about that choco boy, the one who charges you a fee if he just gives you one?" Irvine said, half asleep. He proceeded to put his feet up on the table and scooted his chair back to a more comfortable position.  
  
"No," Quistis said. "That would cost too much money. Money we might need later for something more important like supplies and weapons."  
  
"We've got the money," Squall said to her. "That's not a problem. I can cover that, no problem."  
  
"How...? You gonna beg your dad in Esthar for money?" Seifer said. Every head at the table turned to look at Squall.   
  
(Uh-oh.....) Quistis thought as she watched Squall's expression changed to a scowl pointed in Seifer's direction. (He has just struck a nerve.)  
  
"Don't talk to me about Laguna, Seifer," Squall stated. "He's not my father, nor will he ever be. I don't like him and I don't care if I ever see him again."  
  
Seifer shrugged. "Whatever suits you." Rinoa looked at him from her chair to the left of Squall.  
  
"Seifer, just leave it alone, please? We have too much to do," she said to him. He didn't say anything else.  
  
"So, that's what we'll do," Squall said, returning to the subject at hand. "We'll go down south to Centra and get some chocobos there. How many?"  
  
"Ten," Seifer said, having already counted the group.  
  
"I thought there were eleven of us?" Kildare said, recounting.  
  
"There are," Squall said. "But we've already got Boko and he's able to be ridden now that he's older. I guess that little choco boy is good for something after all for giving him to us. Everyone go and get some sleep. Quistis, Selphie: which of you wants to take us to Centra?"  
  
Both of the girls were worn out physically and mentally. However, they were the only ones who could pilot the Ragnarok. Except...  
  
"I'll do it," Zell said. "I've had plenty of rest and I can do it. Let everyone else go and get some sleep."  
  
"If you're sure you're up for it," Squall said. "But, I'll stay up there with you, just in case. We should be there in a few hours, if we leave now. We can't afford to waste the fuel using the ship's hyperdrive."  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Zell sat in the pilot's seat of the Ragnarok, watching the controls. He had it on autopilot, but he still had to watch to make sure nothing went wrong. Squall sat by him in the co-pilot's seat with his eyes closed and his hands behind his head.  
  
Zell made the seat recline back so he could lie down. He stared up through the glass of the cockpit at the sky, watching the clouds.   
  
Neither of them said anything for a few moments.  
  
"It'll be different when it happens," Zell said. Squall opened his eyes and looked at him from his reclined position.  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked. He had to move his lengthy brown hair out of the way so he could see his blonde companion.  
  
"The prophecy that I saw. It'll be different when it happens," Zell answered. "It has to be."  
  
"What did you see?" Squall asked him.  
  
"Everybody. You, me, everybody. Danda, Ondine, Kildare....." Zell said, remembering the horrific 'dream'. He sat up in the seat and pulled his knees to his chest.  
  
"The thing is, I don't know which fork this prophecy is *on*....the one where the world's saved or the one where the world ends." Zell spoke quietly; if he had spoken any lower it would have been a whisper. He looked at Squall, his eyes filled with fear. "That prophecy scares the *hell* outta me, Squall. I can't even tell you exactly what I saw and that makes it worse."  
  
Zell looked at the control panel and didn't say anything. He swallowed so hard, Squall heard it.   
  
"I can't TAKE it anymore!" he exclaimed. His eyes were shut tight and he gritted his teeth, making his words sound rough. "I fought you! You, Rinoa, Quistis, Irvine, everybody! Jasper took control of me and made me fight you....."  
  
Squall sat stunned. "Did you kill us...?"  
  
Zell shook his head. "I don't know. I didn't see what happened. I just saw myself fighting you." He opened his eyes and looked at the control panel. "I don't know what *fork* it's on!!!"  
  
"It can't be on the fork we're on right now," Squall said, sitting up and leaning forward. "You said Jasper took control of you, right? That can't be unless Danda actually releases him. And if he does that, we're screwed, anyway."  
  
"I'll kill myself before I let it happen," Zell said, without a trace of emotion in his voice. "I can't fight you, Squall. Not you, not Irvine, Rinoa, none of you! I can't do it and live with myself! If we come to the time that Jasper's released, I'll kill myself before he takes a hold of me."  
  
"Don't worry about that right now," Squall said. "I know what you're saying. I'd do the same thing. But, you can't worry about it now or it will cripple you. You won't be able to do what we need you to do when the time comes. You'll freeze up. Trust me, I know. It was like that for me when Rinoa was in a coma. I didn't think about anything but her and I split up from the rest of you and we lost time because you went to look for me."  
  
"You're right," Zell said, leaning back in the seat again. "I just can't think about it. I wasn't even supposed to tell you, but it just got to me...."  
  
"It stays between you and me, then," Squall said. He smiled. "I know how to keep my mouth shut."  
  
"Oh, shut up," Zell mumbled.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"Is everybody ready?" Squall said from chocoback, holding onto Boko's reins. Once the choco boy heard about their predicament, he loaned them saddles for free, but the chocobos themselves had costed their regular price.  
  
They were all on the beach in front of the entrance to Grandidi Forest. It was only a small opening on the map, but in reality there was a huge space between one canyon wall and the other. The trees came right up to the beach. They would have to ride uphill for a few minutes into the forest. There was a high tide and a low tide; the tides had pushed the soil up into a mound between the canyon walls, keeping out excess water and preventing the canyon from being flooded.  
  
"I guess so," Quistis said. She leaned forward and patted her chocobo's feathered neck. "It's been so long since I've ridden a chocobo.....But, you won't let me fall, will you, ol' girl?" The chocobo seemed to have an objection to being called old, but the expression quickly disappeared.  
  
"Warrrk! Wark, wark, waaaarrrrrkk!!" it squawked happily. She flapped her yellow wings slightly and walked in place for a moment, ready to go. Chocobos were naturally friendly creatures, but could have a nasty disposition if chicobos were in danger. Chicobos were baby chocobos, much smaller than full grown chocobos.   
  
"Everybody stay with a friend. Don't go anywhere alone," Squall said.   
  
"Not even to pee?" Selphie exclaimed. Squall sighed. Now was not the time to try and be funny.  
  
"No, Selphie," he said. "Not even to pee."  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"I don't like the looks of this place," Rinoa said, riding next to Squall as close as she could. They stopped where the forest began to get unfriendly. Fortunately, they had had no random encounters in the forest. Not a Malboro or even a Bite Bug. That was strange. *Very* strange.   
  
The group looked back at the normal forest they had just passed through and then forward into this wasteland. There were animal and human skulls mounted on poles in the ground. And the dense fog didn't help, either.   
  
"God, that fog is as thick as peanut butter," Zell said.  
  
"That's 'pea soup', moron," Seifer snorted.  
  
"You eat what you like and I'll eat what I like!" Zell retaliated.   
  
"Don't call him a moron, Seifer," Squall said while he looked at the large gateway. It was two trees with skeletons wrapped around them so thickly the bark couldn't be seen.  
  
"Since when is telling the truth a crime?"   
  
Squall looked up and saw that the skeletons went high up on the trees, forming an arch over the space between them. There were Malboro tentacles hanging from the arch, dangling above their heads. It was like a door.  
  
"Shut up, Seifer," Squall warned again.  
  
Zell was fuming. "I'm tired of this with you all the time, Seifer. If you wanna fight, let's fight, but quit with the name calling. I don't go around callin' you names all the time, why do you gotta do it to me?"  
  
"You fight with me?" Seifer laughed. "That's a joke, right?"  
  
"I kicked your butt twice and I can do it again!"  
  
"That was three on one, CW," Seifer said. "It wasn't exactly fair. And you couldn't come up with a name for me if your life depended on it."  
  
"Since when have *you* ever played fair, Seifer?" Zell retorted. "And for the love of Hyne, stop calling me chickenwuss, you.....*lapdog*!!"  
  
"Chickenwuss." This only made Zell more angry. Seifer kept repeating it over and over like clockwork until Squall finally turned his chocobo around and rammed into Seifer, forcing his ride backward. He looked up at Squall, surprised. Boko was bigger than Seifer's chocobo by a long shot. The smaller chocobo cringed.  
  
"....wark...?" it squeaked.  
  
"I won't say it again," Squall said. "I don't take up for *anyone* who doesn't deserve it, Seifer. Shut your mouth, or you're out of here. Three to eight isn't very good odds."  
  
Wisely, Seifer said nothing.  
  
Squall was tired of his constant picking at Zell. He couldn't resist it anytime he was around Zell, he had to pick on him about something. Seifer was more immature than anyone Squall had ever seen.  
  
"I don't think you want to go in there!"   
  
Everyone looked to find the source of the voice. They hadn't ever heard it before and it certainly didn't belong to any of them.  
  
"Down here!"   
  
Zell looked down to his left to a log. A raven sat perched on the rotten tree.  
  
"That's right. I wouldn't go in there if I were you," the little bird said.  
  
Everyone looked forward into the wasteland and back down at the bird.   
  
"We have to go to the Chocobo Holy Forest and we have to pass through here to do it," Squall said, shaking himself mentally. Here he was, the commander of SeeD, talking to a bird!  
  
"Well, my name is Lilandra," the black bird said. "I used to be human until I passed through this part of the forest doing a documentary on Grandidi Forest. She came to me one night and decreed that since I had trespassed in *her* forest, I should be punished. And here I am. In the feathers, so to speak."  
  
"Well, we have to pass through here," Zell stated. "There's no way around it."  
  
"I'll help you through it, then," Lilandra said. "Quickly, if you want to get through before dark."  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"We need to stop," Rinoa said. Lilandra flew next to her and spoke.  
  
"No, it's not much further! Can't stop now!"   
  
It was nearly dark in the forest. There were chimes made of human bones hung in the trees, adding to the spooky environment of the forest. The wind blew, making them knock together, producing a hollow clicking. "We can't afford to stop now," Squall said. "We're almost there."  
  
"Squall, the chocobos are worn out," Quistis said, patting her chocobo's neck.  
  
"Wark....." it squawked quietly.  
  
A wicked laughter echoed through the trees, sending chills down the spines of the entire group. The chocobos started to walk in place nervously and the teenagers gripped the reins, trying to control them.  
  
Leaves swirled and the bone chimes knocked together, which drove the chocobos nearly mad with fear. Lilandra panicked.  
  
"She is coming!" she squawked. "And I am leaving!"  
  
Lilandra flew back the way the group had come as fast as her wings would carry her. But it was to no avail; a pale blue light surrounded her and pulled her backward, no matter how hard she flapped her wings.  
  
In front of the group, the leaves swirled together and dissolved into a blue light. From it, a woman dressed in a black hooded robe emerged. Lilandra had no choice but to land on her arm.  
  
"Hello, Lilandra..." the woman said. "Pretty bird, who have you brought to me?" She pointed to the group of teenagers before her. She pulled her hood back. She had curly black hair, and jutting from the side of her head were long ears. Not ugly, notched ears, but clean, whole ears.  
  
She walked around the group, studying them each individually. She stopped at Squall.  
  
"Squall Leonhart....if I ever failed at anything, it was changing you," she said. She stroked Lilandra's head with her index finger. "But, you will succumb in time....in time."  
  
She looked at Zell. "Zell Dincht....my rage faery does well with you," she said. "But, why do you listen to him? He only causes you problems. And your friends problems." She chuckled.  
  
"Seifer Almasy, the brave and noble Knight of Ultimecia," she said, mock bowing to him. "If you only knew how many nights I whispered sweet nothings into your ear, teasing you with that foolhardy dream.....How angry you would be with me...."  
  
She stopped and looked at them all.  
  
"I know why you're here," she said. "Jasper is about to be released. And you want me to let you pass through my forest, correct?"  
  
"Yes," Kildare replied. "Will you please let us pass?"  
  
"Child, you need not speak with me that way," the woman said. "I cannot be swayed by pretty words. I am Nicnivin!! Queen of the Unseen Court and all Bad Faeries! I rule over all creatures that are mischievious and trouble-making! Pretty words and phrases annoy me very much."  
  
"Well, then if that's the case, let us pass, old hag!" Seifer declared.  
  
Nicnivin ignored this. "I am not evil, like Jasper. At least, not pure evil," Nicnivin said. "I delight in making mischief, not misery. Go through my forest and to the Chocobo Holy Forest. Go see my brother, Weslan, King of the Elves. He will help you."  
  
She backed away from them. "For now, we are temporarily allies. I will help you in any way that I can. But, after this is all over, our alliance is dissolved, whether Jasper is released or not. If you enter my forest after that, you are fair game. For now, my temporary friends, travel by day or night. After this, travel by day, for the night belongs to me!"  
  
She was surrounded by leaves again and she disappeared, the leaves turning blue and flying away.   
  
The chocobos settled down considerably after that, but were stirred up again after a echoing laughter was heard.  
  
"Don't you all feel a little lighter?" Nicnivin's voice asked them.  
  
The group looked around in confusion for a moment, until Seifer's voice rang out from the back.  
  
"Hey!! My potions are gone!"  
  
"And my Ultima stones!" Squall cried. "And my remedies!"  
  
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!! My kindness has a small fee, my temporary friends! If you had been in my forest for any other reason, I would have plucked your pockets more deeply! Safe journey to you!"   
  
  
  
  
  
  



	11. Over the Hills and Through the Woods

  
Chapter 11--Over the Hills and Through the Woods  
  
Squall and his friends entered the Chocobo Holy Forest to see the Chocobo Mothers from each forest gathered in a circle. They were each from the seven chocobo forests around the world and had gathered for some unknown reason in this one forest. No one ever knew why they had gathered there, but now Squall knew the reason.  
  
"There they are," Rinoa said. "What do we do now?"  
  
"We talk to them," Ondine said. They all got off of their chocobos and held onto their reins so they wouldn't run away. The largest of the Mothers stepped forward and bowed her head.  
  
"You have spoken to Nicnivin," she said. "The way is open for you."  
  
Squall and the others looked around, but they saw that nothing had changed.   
  
"This forest is full of illusions, because the elves live here. Just like Esthar had a mechanical shield to protect it from outsiders, the elves have a magic shield, and it cannot be taken down, except by the King. We were told to guard this secret," the Mother said. "And in return, the elves help us guard our young ones. It has been this way for many, many years. You will pass through the forest now and this time your eyes will not deceive you."  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"That was weird," Quistis said as they guided their chocobos through the forest once again. "Chocobos talking....."  
  
"I know what you mean," Seifer said. "That was weird."  
  
He was interrupted by an arrow embedding itself into a tree just in front of his face. He looked around, trying to figure out where it came from.  
  
"Stay where you are!" a voice yelled.   
  
"Who are you?" Seifer yelled back.  
  
A figure leaped down from a tree branch in front of them, dressed in a green tunic with a quiver of arrows on his back. He had a bow in his hand, raised and ready to fire again. He had short red hair and green eyes. However, the most interesting feature he had to offer were his long ears. They were not as long as Nicnivin's, but they extended from the side of his head, instead of straight back like 'normal' human ears. (But, who's to say what's normal, anymore?) Squall thought. (We've seen so much we've never seen before, there's no standard for normal anymore. Who's to say we're not the ones that are 'strange'?)  
  
"I'm Orlan," the boy said. He wasn't any older than Squall, evidently. "Who are you?"  
  
"We need to see the Elven King, Weslan," Squall said to him. Orlan burst into laughter.  
  
"Who do you think *you* are...?" he asked.  
  
"It's not important to you who we are, unless you know the King," Seifer said to the elf.   
  
"I know the King," Orlan said dismissively. "He's my father. I can take you to see him....But, on two conditions. You're from the Outside, right? I mean, outside the forest? Outside the canyon?"  
  
"Yeah," Zell answered. "We're from the 'Outside', if that's what you call it."  
  
"First condition: I want out. Out of this forest, out of this God forsaken place," Orlan said.   
  
"Why?" Selphie asked.  
  
"Being cooped up in this forest all my life, I want to see the world!! I want to see things no elf has ever seen before! I want to see snow, I want to see mountains! I want out of here," Orlan replied. "Second condition: I need to know why you want to see my father. I can't just waltz in there and say 'hey, I met these guys in the woods and they wanna see the King.' I am the Prince, but I can't just do anything. And what are your names?"  
  
"I'm Zell," Zell said, and turned to his friends. As he stated their names, he pointed to them and they held their hand up. "That's Squall, Rinoa, Irvine, Selphie, Seifer, Fujin, Quistis, Raijin, Kildare, and Ondine."  
  
"Whoa...Rinoa? As in, Sorceress Rinoa? Wicked!!" Orlan exclaimed, as Rinoa turned red. Orlan stumbled over his last word. "Umm...what I meant to say was.....cool."  
  
"Does the name Jasper mean anything to you?" Zell asked casually.  
  
"Jasper...? That's bad hocus pocus, right there. C'mon, I'll take you to see my father," Orlan said. He took a small flute out of his pocket and played a quick tune. "Toby!"  
  
"Who's Toby?" Rinoa asked. She quickly got her answer.  
  
"Wark! Waark!"  
  
Coming down through the treetops was a large, black--  
  
.....chocobo?  
  
It landed right next to Orlan and the yellow chocobos took a step back at seeing a variation of their species. The chocobo had ice blue eyes and what looked like a red bandana around his neck. Orlan smiled.  
  
"Oh, a black chocobo! He's cute!!" Selphie squealed. Orlan's expression quickly changed to indignation.  
  
"He's not cute! He's a war-chocobo! Made for battle!" he declared. Toby stomped his right foot and nodded his head sharply.  
  
"Wark!"  
  
(Oh, boy...) Squall thought.  
  
"How come Toby can fly?" Rinoa asked, pacing around the black chocobo.  
  
"Toby's a part of the Royal Circle! That means if there's a war, he goes into battle with a member of the Royal Circle and no less," Orlans said, climbing up on Toby's back. "That means me!"  
  
"That still doesn't explain why he can fly," Squall pointed out. "I've never seen a black chocobo before, let alone one that can fly."  
  
"No kidding. Only the members of our army have one. They're bred by royal breeders for battle only," Orlan said. "But, the Royal Circle are the best of the best of the best. They can run faster, fly higher, and fight better than any other chocobos in the world. They--"  
  
"Let's just skip the rest of the story," Seifer said. "Take us to the King."  
  
"NOW!" Fujin replied, scaring her chocobo almost out from underneath her. Raijin moved up closer to Orlan.  
  
"Best not cross Fujin, ya know," he whispered just loud enough for the elf to hear.  
  
"Let's just go," Squall said.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"I need to see my father!!" Orlan shouted outside the counsel door to the guard. "We've got news!"   
  
"I told you, your father is in counsel and mustn't be bothered, Prince Orlan," the guard said calmly. Orlan's face grew scarlet red.  
  
"Don't call me 'Prince'! And I have to see my father!! If I have to break the door down, I'll do it!" Orlan yelled. "I order you to let us in!"  
  
"I can't *do* that, Orlan," the guard said. "Your father told me specifically not to let anyone inside the counsel room and anyone means *anyone*! Unless there's a good reason."  
  
"We have a good reason!" Orlan objected. "One that is beyond your understanding and can't be told to anyone until my father hears it first and decides what to do! These humans have talked to Nicnivin and the Mothers and need to see the King!"  
  
"Nicnivin and the Mothers...?!" the guard exclaimed, suddenly becoming frightened. "O'okay...I'm gonna quote you on that if I get in trouble for letting you in here!" The guard opened the large wooden doors, revealing a large room with balconies full of finely clothed elven dignitaries, men and women. Most wore some shade of green or red, the colors of the elven kingdom. Green for humility, red for their righteous nature and ability to become very cross if wronged in any way. The elves were a proud people and disliked being tricked. What was the saying? 'Deceive me once, shame on you. Deceive me twice, shame on me.' The elves firmly believed this and would not be toyed with. Do attempt to do so would be a death wish.   
  
The palace itself was located inside the canyon wall, but on the inside was outfitted with the finest drapes and tapestries that Squall and his friends had ever seen before. It was not a sight to be missed. Most tapestries that hung on the walls in the corridors of the palace had gold dragons depicted on them or they told a story of times long passed when their palace was raised highover the canopy in Grandidi Forest when they didn't have to live like lowly dwarves inside a suffocating mountain. Of the times before Jasper's coming.  
  
In the balconies, women covered their mouths and men gasped in astonishment at the sight of what followed behind the guard and their prince. Had it not been for Orlan, the humans would have been bound with rope and placed in the dungeon upon their arrival. There was a man in the middle of the room, oddly dressed in a purple cape and white tunic, with black pants. He turned around at the intrusion to look at what was so important as to interupt his argument.  
  
He pointed a rigid finger at the humans behind the prince and demanded, "Who is that...?!! There are no visitors allowed here!!" The blonde-haired man approached them quickly, but was stopped by another man up in one of the balconies.  
  
"That will be quite enough, Jenner," the man said, a golden crown on his brow, adorned with rubies and emeralds. "Orlan, you have been told time and time again, I am not to be bothered when I am in counsel. Not even for...." The King noticed that the people behind his son were not elves, but human beings from the Outside world. "Humans...? Guards, seize them!"  
  
"No!" Orlan cried, drawing his bow and switching aim from one guard to another. He had the bowstring pulled back almost to the point Squall thought it would break. The guards hesitated, looking at their king for guidance.  
  
"What are you doing, Orlan? Put your bow down!" Weslan said, standing up. "There is to be no contact with the Outside and you know this! Anyone who sets eyes upon this kingdom must be kept here or killed! You know this!  
  
"These people are my friends," Orlan declared, spawning howls of disapproval throughout the room. Even his father didn't approve of his choice of friends. "They've come here for help! They--"  
  
A man stood up from his seat in 2nd level balcony, and shouted. "We have urgent problems of our own!!! Let the lower creatures fend for themselves!!"  
  
The entire population of the room burst into cries of agreement and others stayed silent, pondering how they could use this situation to better their own position in the counsel without jumping to conclusions.  
  
"They've talked to Nicnivin and the Mothers, therefore there must be a good reason for them coming here," Orlan shouted over all the yelling and clamor. "They've come to see you, Father. Jasper's return is upon us if you don't hear them out. And here, standing amongst them, is the *Sorceress Rinoa*! Would you deny them your ears for a few minutes?" At this, Orlan whispered to Zell, who stood next to him, "I hate talking like that. But, it's what I have to do to get them to listen to me."  
  
The mention of Jasper and Rinoa really put the room into an uproar; Jenner raised his hands in the air, calling silence. "Enough!" He bowed to the prince and in turn, to Rinoa. He bent down on one knee and kissed her hand. "Forgive the illtemper of my colleagues. It would be an honor to assist the Sorceress Rinoa in any way." Jenner turned to the king up on the highest row of balconies. "Might we not listen to them? If it concerns Jasper, it concerns us all." Jenner then backed away to a small stairway that led up to the higher balconies. A man stood there in the doorway dressed in a red robe, as if waiting. When Jenner reached him he looked around carefully, making sure all eyes were on the ones in the middle of the room and whispered.  
  
"They're humans, Jenner, why are you--"  
  
Jenner covered his friend's mouth and pulled him into the stairwell so none could see. "Be quiet, fool! I will tell you of this later, when the time is appropriate!" Rahn nodded nervously to his friend and they returned to the doorway.   
  
About an hour passed as Zell and Squall related to them how they had come to be there and their current situation. The King pondered this for a moment.  
  
"Hmm...I should not have to hesitate in deciding on what to do about this. You will have my army at your disposal after I speak with the rest of the counsel on the subject," King Weslan said. "Meanwhile, make yourselves at home in my palace. Orlan, you will show them around, yes?"  
  
Orlan smiled. "Of course!"  
  
"And for the love of archery, change your clothes, child!" Weslan laughed. "You are covered in filth! If your friends would like other clothes to wear, that is perfectly fine. They seem to need a change as well."  
  
Orlan looked down at himself, as did Squall, Zell, and the others. It was true. They hadn't even bothered to look at themselves they had been so busy. They were covered in dirt and all were in need of a bath.  
  
"Tika," the King said to a servant girl that stood near the door to his balcony, "go and make sure our guests are well taken care of, that they are fed, bathed, and clothed. Have them given rooms to rest in as well. I am sure they are tired from their journey."  
  
"Yes, sire," Tika said and bowed her head as she backed out the curtained entrance. She walked quickly down the stairs and was soon on the bottom level in the counsel room. She ushered them out of the room the way they had come and back into the white hallway. The guard shut the doors and stood in front of them.  
  
"Prince Orlan, you will take the men and I the women to be bathed and given a change of clothes," Tika said to him. "If that pleases you...?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, Tika," Orlan said dismissively. "You know I don't like formalities, so cut the 'prince' thing, okay? It's bad enough that I have to be told how to dress and how to speak in front of people. When I'm king, that'll be the *first* thing to go."  
  
"Yes, Orlan," Tika said. "Now, for them...?" She gestured to the humans, who were obviously becoming uncomfortable in the new atmosphere.   
  
"Guys, with me," Orlan said. "Girls, with Tika."   
  
They separated into two groups and went their two different ways.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Squall watched as countless female servants entered, each pouring a bucketful of water into a large silver tub in the middle of the bedroom he had been given. It was a nice room, white walls, an oak bed covered in green blankets and pillows. The elves certainly lived the highlife in the palace. This was comparable to, if not superior to, the Presidential Palace in Esthar. The bed was somewhat too large for himself alone and he decided secretly that he and Rinoa would have to fix that if given the chance. There was an oval green rug near the bed, with golden tassles. But, except for that small piece, there was no carpet, only white tile and only a small closet. However, there was a small desk in the corner, adorned with books stacked on top. It was a room obviously made for guests.  
  
However, the desk made him remember one very important thing, something that he had not thought of since they left The Temple of the Lost. (The journeybook!!!) Squall thought. He took it out of the pack that he had lain on the bed and opened it. Sure enough, there was a message written there, in small neat letters:  
  
'3/5/00. I know where you are at all times, Squall. You must not forget about this book and its capabilities. I will contact you when I have advice on what to do next. I have my journeybook with me at all times and check it regularly. You have written nothing as of yet, and you should have many questions as to elven culture and their ways. Do you not?--Dileja Lucca'  
  
Squall took a pen from the bag as he sat on the bed and began to write in response.   
  
'3/6/00. Do you know where I am now, Lucca? Can you see me?--Squall'  
  
Across the world and under the sea, letters began to appear in Lucca's journeybook, forming words as they glowed gold for a moment, like sunlight, and then turned to black ink. She began to reply, sitting in her chambers, surrounded by her books.  
  
Back in the elven kingdom, the same scene replayed, day-star letters materializing and magically fading into black as they were scrawled across the page.  
  
'3/6/00. Yes, Squall, I see you now. You're in a bedroom, sitting on a bed with green blankets and pillows. What do you wish to know?--Lucca'  
  
Squall stopped and thought for a moment. (What do I want to know? God, that's a horribly vague question. I want to know a lot of things. Where did Danda come from? Is the prophecy that Zell gave going to come true? Is he going to have to fight us?)  
  
'3/6/00. Squall, you think too much. You are full of questions, but you cannot put words to them. So like your mother.--Lucca'  
  
Squall stopped and looked at the words on the page. (My mother....Raine...?) He quickly scrawled down his question, his handwriting becoming messy.  
  
'3/6/00. How do you know my mother??! Danda knew my mother. How did he know that? Tell me. Please.--Squall'  
  
'3/6/00. Please do not become angry. I know your mother only by her being. I have never spoken to her in my lifetime. I, however, have watched her. I was...attached to your mother, by a birthbond. When she was born, I was attached to her spiritually. I am hundreds of years old, but every 50 years, I am attached to a child so that I may become familiar once again with the surface ways. I do not interfere with their lives, I only watch through the windows. Your mother was a very kind woman. She loved you very much when you were born. I watched you be born. I was there and I wasn't. Her last thoughts were not with Laguna, but with you and her hopes for you. She named you Squall for the time you were born, during a passing shower in the middle of the night. She died holding you.--Lucca'  
  
Drops of water hit the journeybook paper and sank into it, making the ink run. Across the world, it was shown there on Lucca's journeybook.  
  
'3/6/00. Do not weep for her. Do only your best to live the best you can, so as not to betray her memory. You have done so much in your young 17 years, Squall. You and Zell, Irvine, Selphie, Quistis and Rinoa. You have done so much and yet, you ask for so little in return. You only wish to never be left alone again. For Zell, he wishes only for the strength to protect and be loyal to you and the others in times of adversity. For Selphie, it is her want to protect those who cannot for themselves that drives her. I know what drives every one of you. What makes you continue on, even though there is nothing for you to have faith in. Believe in yourselves and in each other, and you will be victorious in this new war. I am retiring for this night, Squall. I will return to give you what knowledge I may tomorrow. Godspeed.--Lucca'  
  
Squall wrote another message as fast as his fingers would let him write.  
  
'Wait Don't go!!'  
  
He waited a moment, but there was no reply. He wiped his eyes and shut the book. He placed it back in the pack and watched the women fill the basin with water until they were finished. They had seemed to pay no attention to him and his book.   
  
They lied a towel and a washcloth on the end of the bed for him to use and put a rectangular bar of soap on the side of the tub. They stood there after that, as if waiting for something. The situation was becoming quite awkward.   
  
"I...like to bathe alone, if you please...?" Squall told them. They blushed. The tallest in a brown robe that reached the floor spoke.  
  
"I'm sorry...it is custom for men to be bathed by women and women to be bathed by men in the palace. But, we will leave if that is your wish," she said and the women filed out of the room. Squall, thankful for privacy, started to undress. And then a thought hit him.  
  
(Rinoa!!!!)  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Fortunately, Rinoa, too, expressed her need to bathe alone, as did everyone else. Except *maybe* Seifer and Irvine, but that's another story. They all rested after that, until nightfall came again. Zell wondered what Danda was doing, what he was planning. He wondered about the girl they were supposed to find, Naomi.  
  
Zell's room layout was the same as Squall's, with the oaken bed and rug, except his blankets and the rug were red, accented with gold. He lay in the bed with his eyes closed and he in his 'new' clothes. He had unanimously decided that he looked ridiculous in the set of clothes he had been given. Doubtless, he believed that the others felt the same.  
  
A burgundy hooded robe with a golden tassle around the waist and long sleeves. Underneath, he wore a white tunic and brown pants with leather boots. He wanted his old clothes back as soon as they were done being washed.  
  
He heard a knock on the oaken door and he looked up from the bed. "Come in," he replied, sitting up and stretching. A small male servant he hadn't seen before stepped into the room and bowed her head.  
  
"The King wishes all in the throne room, sir," the young boy said. He was so young he shouldn't have even been able to roam the palace by himself. His small elven ears poked out from his bowlcut black hair. The elves were as diverse a people as humans, Zell observed. All colors of hair and eyes. But, their eyes remained the same shape: almond. That and their long ears were signatures of an elf.  
  
"Alright, then," Zell said, and uprooted himself from the bed. He was almost attached, it was so comfortable. He walked across the red rug and out the door into the white hallway. The boy took his hand and started leading him down the corridor. His heels clicked on the tile floor as he walked with the young boy. Zell looked down at him and smiled.  
  
"What's your name?" Zell asked amiably. He smiled at the young boy, hoping to learn more about how he lived. The boy glanced up at him.  
  
"Fili."  
  
"How old are you? You don't look any older than this tattoo on my face," Zell told him as they rounded the corner. There was a great number of people gathered outside the throne room entrance, all dressed in different colored robes and coats.   
  
"Shhh," Fili said. He then whispered. "You're not supposed to be talking to me." Zell pulled him back into the empty hallway. He squatted down in front of him with his back to the wall.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Servants no' supposed to talk t' guests of the House," Fili whispered. "It's inpo-impoli-" Fili struggled with the word for a moment before Zell helped out.  
  
"Impolite. Where're your parents, Fili?" Zell asked. Fili looked around to make sure no one had seen them.  
  
"Don' have no parents or brothers or sisters..." Fili said. "...orphan."  
  
"How old are you, Fili?"  
  
Fili thought about this a moment and held up one hand with his fingers spread wide. "This many," he said proudly.  
  
"You're five?"  
  
"No," the boy corrected, sure of what he was saying. "I'm Fili."   
  
Zell laughed and picked him up, holding him on his hip.   
  
"No, I get in trouble!" he whispered, struggling to get down.  
  
"Don't worry about it," Zell said to him. "You're too young to even be walking around this place by yourself. Besides, you won't get in trouble if I take responsibility for it. Have you ever seen the King?"  
  
Fili's eyes went wide. "Uh-uh! I've only ever seen Orlan. He sneaks me some food from the kitchen sometimes," Fili said. "I like Orlan."  
  
"Would you like to see the King?" Zell whispered. Fili nodded.  
  
"Only if you say you wanted me to see him, okay?"   
  
Zell put him down and started walking toward the throne room again. The number of people who were there, chatting about this and that, stopped to look at the small servant and guest. The guard stopped them on the way in the throne room. He eyed the boy, who cringed behind Zell's robe, pulling it over his nose and mouth as a shield.  
  
"He stays," the guard said, pointing the end of his bow to the child. The guards held their bows at their sides, with quivers of arrows on their backs.  
  
"He's supposed to come with me," Zell lied. He didn't know why he was doing this. He wondered if he felt sorry for him, being so young and living a servant's life.  
  
The guard eyed Fili, who looked up at Zell. The guard snorted and held his bow back to his side. "Alright. If he's supposed to."  
  
(These guards are so stupid,) Zell thought as he opened the door, leading Fili into the throne room with him. It was just as he expected it to be. Green, red, and gold tapestries hung from the ceiling, along with the white marble columns that lined the hallways. A bright red and gold carpet divided the white room all the way up to the King's throne, and next to it, a smaller throne undoubtedly for the Prince. He saw all his friends, who looked better in their clothes than he did. Irvine, in a blue robe, looked over from the group and shouted. Zell's eyes had to adjust for a second, as Irvine didn't have his hat on.  
  
"Hey, Zell!" he said, waving him over to their small group. He looked down at Fili, whose eyes were darting around the room like mad. He was scared of the sudden number of bright-robed people. Zell took his hand.  
  
"C'mon, these are my friends," he said. "They'll like you." They walked over to the group and Zell introduced his new friend.  
  
"Guys, this is Fili," Zell said, pulling him out from behind his robe. Fili looked up at the new faces, who were now watching him with the utmost interest. His gaze stopped on a scarred face. The figure, in his sandy robe with hair to match, glanced down at the boy, smirking.  
  
"Hey, kid."  
  
Fili immediately retreated back behind Zell's robe again. They all laughed as Fili pulled Zell's robe over his nose and mouth again.  
  
"Now, Fili," Seifer said, rounding Zell and making the little boy run around to Zell's front,"what's to stop me from simply walking around Zell to get to you, hmm?" Fili ran over and hid behind Selphie's dark orange robe.  
  
"Stop that, Seifer, you're scaring him!" Selphie scolded. "Meany!" Selphie turned to Fili and knelt down in front of him. "That's Seifer. He won't bite, he just looks like he will."  
  
"I thought servants weren't supposed to be in here," Squall said quietly. To Fili, he was almost scarier than Seifer. Squall noticed the little boy eyeing him. "I'm Squall."  
  
"Hi," Fili said weakly.  
  
At that moment, the trumpeters played fanfare, as the King was entering through a side door near the throne. Guards walked beside him, bows in hand and full quivers on the back of their hunter green capes. Silver hair, the both of them.  
  
(They must be members of the Royal Circle,) Squall thought, watching them as they stood next to their King. The King had mid-length red hair and green eyes, like father like son. A small portion of his left ear was missing, and on his head, a golden crown with rubies and emeralds set inside its masculine design. Attached to his shoulders was a crimson cape that reached the floor, fine black boots to go with black pants and a white button-up tunic, with gold buttons. He looked nothing like any of the other people Squall had seen in the palace and rightly so. He was King, after all.  
  
Orlan followed him in, dressed the same, but no cape and the crown and buttons he wore were silver. They stood in front of their thrones, calling the room silent.  
  
Weslan stepped forward and looked around the room at his guests and his advisor, Jenner.  
  
"There will be a feast this night, to welcome you to our kingdom, as small as it is. My troops are preparing for war as we speak, the women making arrows, men repairing the chocobo bridles and saddles. We feast tonight, we war tomorrow."  
  
Orlan was astounded. He had not heard of his father's plans for this. "We should be preparing for war along with everyone else, Father! Just because we live in the palace, we shouldn't be--"  
  
The King shot his son a look of anger and Orlan promptly closed his mouth. At hearing Orlan's voice, Fili poked his head out from behind Zell's robe. Jenner spied the little boy and pointed at him.  
  
"What's he doing in here?" Jenner asked the guards. Fili took refuge behind Zell once again.  
  
"Please don't punish him," Selphie pleaded, looking at Weslan. "He hasn't ever seen you before and he only wanted a look, m'Lord."  
  
"Let him attend the feast with us, Father, if you would?" Orlan asked his father. Weslan pondered on this for a moment, rubbing his bare chin. Elves could not grow beards. He spoke.   
  
"Would you like that....what is your name?" Fili revealed his location to the King once again and glanced at Jenner.  
  
Fili was thrown into a fit of embarassment, having been spoken to by the King. "F'Fili....sire..."  
  
"Fili, then. You shall attend our feast, if you could behave yourself like a good child, yes?"  
  
Fili nodded eagerly and then calmed down, realizing again to whom he was to be speaking. "Yes, sire, I should like that! Please, sir?"  
  
Weslan laughed. "Then you shall have your wish. Orlan, take him and get him cleaned up. The feast will be soon."  
  
  



	12. Intrusion

Sorry this took so long, but I've been swamped with homework. Well, here goes.  
  
Sgt. Phoenix  
  
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The inner part of Grandidi forest was alive with music and merrymaking, as the troops would the next day begin to prepare for war and have no time for such things until their job was done. There was a long table set in the middle of a small clearing, covered with food of all kinds: steaks, several pork roasts, and any vegetable one could imagine. It was the King's table, afterall. And if it wasn't there, you could simply ask for it. All around the King's table were other, smaller, round tables with people at them, listening to the melody of the forest being played by a group of musicians.   
  
Fili sat next to Orlan at the table, looking at the food wide-eyed. He had never seen so much food in his life! Roast pork, beef, quail.....he had never eaten such foods! He had gotten servants' food all his life. He had on a white robe that fit his size, his hair combed, and his face washed.   
  
"King Weslan, sire....?" he asked, looking to the head of the table. Jenner sat directly in front of Fili and shot him a stern look. Weslan looked up and saw this.  
  
"Do not be so strict on the boy, Jenner. He has been a perfect gentleman this evening," Weslan said. "He is a guest at this table, as are you. Surely you would like to stay a guest, yes?"  
  
"Forgive me, sire..."   
  
"Good. Now, what did you want to say, Fili?" The King looked at the boy with mild amusement.  
  
"I...wanted to say 'thank you'...."  
  
"You're quite welcome, boy," Weslan said. "How would you like to be Orlan's younger brother?"  
  
Every head at the table jerked up and looked at the King. Including Jenner.  
  
"This....mongrel child, sire? Surely you've had too much wine....."  
  
"I've had too much of nothing, Jenner, and you would do well not to speak to me so!" A hush fell over the entire clearing. If you hadn't heard the King, you had a lack of hearing. "You've simply made me aware of what condition our servants stay in and I don't like it! Especially *children* above all else, being made to wander the palace alone and perform jobs an adult should be made to do!" Weslan fumed. "Now, I've had enough! I want you to improve their living conditions or you will be put down there with them!" A round of applause erupted from around the King's table and other tables as well.  
  
"Me, sire? A common servant? I shudder to think," Jenner said. "But, I will do as my King commands. My apologies."  
  
"Wouldn't you rather do what your 'Master' commands?"  
  
Eyes darted every which way, searching for the person attached to the voice. It seemed to come from all around them. A cyan blue light drifted down through the top of the clearing on top of the group, hovering above them. Danda was encased inside it.  
  
"Would you not rather join me instead?"  
  
"To what purpose?" Jenner asked skeptically. He was, of course, a bargaining man. He would always sway to the side whose grass seemed to be greener. Taking advantage of a situation was a specialty of his that he took great pride in, no matter how unloyal or scandelous it made him seem. There was nothing 'dirty' about saving one's own life.  
  
"Wouldn't you like to rid the world of humans? Vile creatures, poison of the planet..." Danda speculated. "You would become King in the place of your current Majesty."  
  
"How dare you?!" Weslan exclaimed, standing up from his chair. Every elf in the clearing rose from their seats, drawing a bow and arrow, including Orlan. "You would release Jasper back into this world? How can you promise such things as the elven throne in his name? How do you know he will not simply destroy you, as well?"  
  
"He is beyond such things," Danda explained. "But, this is not why I have come here. I seek the one with the Stone Heart." Zell stood up.  
  
"The Dileja has chosen a pitiful group of children for her 'crusade'," Danda said, eyeing the group at the table. "Would you fight me again, children? I would relish a fight between myself and you, Stone Heart. Do you wish to drive me away from these people?"  
  
"My name's Zell," Zell replied. "And the answer's 'yes'. But, if we fight, I don't wanna do it here. Not where people can get hurt."  
  
"I'm afraid, *child*," Danda stated, "you don't have that option."  
  
There was a sudden silent thunder and Zell was bathed in a translucent sphere of red light. He was lifted into the air up to Danda's level, Squall and the other's watching from the ground.  
  
"Kick his ass, chickenwuss!!" Seifer yelled, trying to be encouraging. However, Rinoa seemed to only glare at him.  
  
"What the (&*^??!!" Zell hollered as he was lifted even higher. He always did have a fear of heights.  
  
"You don't even know how to use your power, do you, boy?" Danda laughed. "I'll give you a fair chance: reach down inside of yourself and grab it. You feel it, don't you? Pulsating power you never had before? You can feel it throbbing, wanting loose, can't you? Raw power such as that shouldn't be in the hands of someone so young as you.  
  
"I could teach you everything I have learned in my centuries of life, Zell. All my knowledge, my experiences, my magic.....You could join me and be a King or an Emperor. Your word would be law, next to my own." Danda thrust his hand down at Squall and the others. "They don't care about you. Squall cares about his reputation. Rinoa follows him like a dog on a leash. Seifer follows Rinoa, his old love. Fujin and Raijin follow Seifer out of blind loyalty. Irvine wants popularity. Selphie loves Irvine, so she tags along, unaware he was with someone else."  
  
Selphie shot Irvine a look of disbelief. "You.....? You're...?"  
  
"Selphie, he's messing with our heads. I swear there's never been anybody but you," he professed.   
  
"Why do you lie to yourself, Irvine?" Danda asked. "You don't remember the pub in Timber? The woman in the blue dress? Her perfume? Her touch? He lies to you, Selphie. Look into his eyes and decide."  
  
"I didn't, Selphie.....He's lying, I didn't......" he pleaded with her. Tears were beginning to well up in her green eyes and she shook her head.  
  
"Did you lay with her, you deceitful wretch? Tell her the truth, Irvine..."  
  
".......I....I don't believe you...." Selphie told Danda, a scowl forming on her face.  
  
"Believe what you wish," Danda said dismissively. "Everything I've spoken is the truth. If you doubt me, any of you, ask each other. I know every single one of you, heart and soul. I know all your deepest, darkest secrets, every one of you. That was just a little of what I know. Do you wish to know more about one another...? About everyone's secrets...?"  
  
"We don't need to know about anybody's secrets unless they tell us!" Zell yelled at him. "If any of us have any secrets, there's good reason for them. Some things are just not anybody's business!!"  
  
Danda smiled. "You would know all about secrets, wouldn't you, Zell?" Zell swallowed hard. He didn't answer. "Wouldn't you?? Shameful secrets...? Pitiful secrets...? Secrets that make people vomit where they stand...? Would you all like to hear Zell's deepest, darkest secret..........?"  
  
"SHUT UP!!" Zell screamed. "You shut your mouth!! Just shut up!!!"  
  
"A little edgy, aren't we, Zell? For someone who doesn't have any secrets, you're being awfully defensive.........No matter. They'll find out soon enough."  
  
"I. Said. Shut. Up," Zell growled, a snarl rising from his lip. Even from the ground, it could be seen.  
  
(Ohhhh *^@%.....I have never seen that look on his face before....) Squall thought, alarmed. He bent his head down and whispered to Rinoa. "Tell Seifer, Raijin, and Fujin to start getting people out of here.....Now, while Zell's got his attention....Children first...."  
  
Rinoa nodded. She tapped Seifer on the shoulder, ever watching Danda's movements. She passed on the message to him, causing him to raise an eyebrow. (I want a piece of this guy......but, this isn't the situation to get uppity...) Seifer thought sourly. (.........damn.)  
  
He, Raijin, and Fujin started to break slowly away from the King's Table, spreading out in 3 directions, taking the King, Orlan, and Fili with them. Jenner stayed at the table. They disappeared into the crowd, mothers holding their children, husbands holding their wives. People were too scared to move, let alone try to escape.  
  
"ENERGIZER," Zell spoke loudly, calling forth for the first time his new magic. His body suddenly shook and he crossed his arms over his chest, the snarl from his lips transforming into a grimace of pain. He curled up in midair within the red circle of light, allowing it to crackle with raw energy newly released. He took up his knees and placed his forehead down on them, in pain.   
  
The people on the ground looked back up at the two forms as they were lead away by Seifer and his posse.   
  
Danda was the picture of calm, tranquility, and dignity, his sphere being perfect: no crackling or resonating energy, but, simply a glowing, royal blue sphere.   
  
Zell, however, was the exact opposite. He appeared to be the physical embodiment of rage, power, and......love....? Zell's love for family was expressed along with his hate and rage for any who might violate or harm his. His family was going to be harmed if he didn't do this. Others' families were going to be harmed if he didn't do this.   
  
Zell released his knees and there was a new fire in his eyes, a new virtility. His physical strength had risen to a new level. No normal creature on earth could survive a blow from him in this state. Not a T-Rexuar, not a Malboro, not a Chimera. Not even Omega Weapon itself, had it existed in that timeline.  
  
".....why don't we attack him now, Squall.....?" Kildare whispered to him. "We could catch him by surprise....."  
  
"....No, Kildare.....there are too many people still out here....." Squall said. "Too many innocent bystanders to launch that kind of a campaign.....we have to buy time....that's what Zell's doing, now...."  
  
"I'm giving you a chance to leave peacefully," Zell growled. "Leave these people alone and go back to whatever section of Hell you came from. I'm not going to offer it again."  
  
Danda chuckled. "It seems you have a little bit of spitfire in you....you got that from your mother," he said. "She was a fine woman, India was.....a *fine* figure of a woman...."  
  
Zell flinched. "You knew my mother.........??"  
  
"I told you I know all of you. Your parents, your grandparents.....I know all about your families, where they live, why you were all orphaned....." Danda said calmly. "Would you like to know....? In exchange for that information, would you lay down your weapons and stop resisting me...? You would be left in peace, you and your families.....your *true* families....."  
  
Zell shook his head sharply. "Stop it! You're messing with our heads, you don't know anything!! Nothing!"  
  
"I'm 763 years old, Stone Heart....." Danda replied smoothly. "You cannot tell yourself I know nothing, for it is a lie...."  
  
Zell's red globe suddenly sprang forward, carrying him with it, and stopping less than an inch from Danda's blue sphere. Zell was fuming. His lips curled up, bearing his teeth.  
  
"You wish to kill me now, don't you...?" Danda taunted. "Well. We might as well begin."  
  
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That's it for right now. Chapter 13 is coming soon, if school permits. I do believe if I was getting paid for this, I would have been fired a long time ago for failure to put out anything on time!!  
  
Sgt. Phoenix  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	13. The Split Up

Chapter 13 – The Split Up

Zell was ready.Surrounded by the red light he had so suddenly become fond of, he called upon a new piece of magic.One Ultimecia had used against them in The Final Battle.One that had nearly cost them the fight several times.There was no escaping it's wrath unless one had used a Hero.

Calling the magic hurt.He could feel it inside his mind, trying to split him in half.Like he was being bound and quartered.If this was what Ultimecia was feeling, Zell was abruptly moved to something that resembled pity.It might be a one-time pressure on his mind, because this was the first time he had used it.But, then it could be permanent.Everytime he used it he would feel this splitting pressure inside his head.He couldn't even find the energy to scream.He grit his teeth, closing his eyes.He shook and trembled in midair.He finally pointed at Danda and his small disciple, raising up the worst magic Zell had ever felt in his entire existence.

"Hell's Judgement!" Zell managed.The spell almost took him with it.Bright orange light shot up from the ground, bringing with it a circle filled with archaic symbols and ancient inscriptions.It almost knocked Danda out of the sky.

"…….Nice…." Danda breathed."….Powerful.You even succeeded in killing my aide."His perfect blue sphere dissolved where Michael had been standing, letting him fall through and plummet to the ground."….I needed a new follower….Jenner….come…"

Danda's sphere extended to the ground, picking up Jenner and raising him up into the air to meet his new master.Jenner was not one to take up arms with another unless he was certain he was going to be on the winning team.He wasn't so sure about either side at the moment.But, one thing he was sure of was that this man could and would probably kill him without a second's notice if he was crossed.He was obligated, currently, if he didn't wish to die, to join Danda's cause.Whether it would be a winning cause was yet to be proven.He had watched Zell's performance and Danda's as well, and was certain that both were willing to do what it took to win.

Zell had fallen out of the sky, Hell's Judgement nearly bringing him down with Michael.Being caught by Irvine was the only thing that saved him from breaking his neck.Danda was distracted at the moment with Jenner and it was a time for quick healing.

They both stood up, with Squall helping Zell stand.The protective circle around Zell was gone, leaving only a fatigue and sweat on his forehead.He would just have to be stronger next time.He hadn't expected to be that drained from using the spell.It would take practice with the Stone to make himself stronger with it.Much practice.

Irvine and the others hadn't done anything with their new abilities as of yet.And he aimed to change that.He wanted to get a feel for this new thing within him, Pearl.It was similar, in nature, to Holy.It was an ancient magic that hadn't been used since medieval times.In the legendary times of Terra and Locke.He had heard many stories of them, from books.It was still not certain whether they really existed.But, there were always legends.

But, to have this power that was spoken of in the books was different than the magic he was used to using.It was a very different feeling.More powerful.He could feel it running through his veins, unlike the magic that could be Drawn from enemies or Draw points.It was like being on a permanent high.It would take time to learn to control, but that was the least of their problems at the moment.

Irvine flung his Orion out of his robe and aimed it at Danda.He had already loaded it with AP ammo.He proceeded to fire it once.He didn't want to waste ammunition if they were only going to bounce off like before.

And it did.

But, the effects were different this time.It was almost like the circle cracked and then sealed itself again.He tried again.One, two.

Danda was already at low strength.He was in danger.

_These children are strong…Smart…I have what I needed.It is time to go._

The circle broke in one small place, cracked by the first, shattered in that place by the second.The hole couldn't have been more than an inch in diameter.It would take crackshot aim to get it right again.But, there wasn't time.The hole sealed up again.

Zell took a deep breath.He was tired.He turned to look at Squall, who was standing next to him, helping him stand."….we have to get him while he's weak…Everybody's gone from the clearing, now's our chance…"

Squall agreed.It _was_ their chance.But, there was no way of reaching him with physical attacks from the ground.Squall liked to rely on the physical more than the magical.Magic wasn't really his strong point.Let everyone else have magic.He liked his gunblade.But, it was time for an attack of some kind.

"Everybody!Now!" Squall yelled.It was his job to take care of Zell.He was useless to them while Danda was in the air.If they could bring him down….

Orlan fired his bow at Danda, but it did nothing but split the arrow down the middle, shattering it."I think I'm outta my league right here…C'mon, Dad, Fili!" He grabbed Fili by the arm and his father by his cape, dragging them from the clearing.Squall put an arm around Zell, following them.

"We gotta get you outta here," Squall said to him."You did your part."

Zell looked back.Danda was quickly floating away, Irvine still cracking off shots at him.Not even Irvine could hit what he couldn't see.There was no way to get to him, not even with magic at that range.

"Everybody fall back!" Zell yelled to them."It's useless!Everybody inside!"

"He's right!" Squall shouted, stopping a moment to let them catch up.They got to the palace gate quicker than they had expected; the large iron net had already been raised.Everyone was shuffled inside and it was slammed shut.

"Cotton….the fabric of our lives," Zell mused, pulling his shirt back on.He was thankful to have his old clothes back.He fixed his hair back into its usual spike after digging in his bag for his hair gel.The robe thing just wasn't him.It wasn't Zell.

Knock, knock.

"Door's open," Zell said, still fixing his fair.It was hard to get his hair the way he always had it._You _try fixing your hair in that big of a spike and get it to look good.

Squall stepped in the room, walking across the rug.

"Feeling well?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Zell said."Better than last night.That spell gave me a headache."

"No kidding," Squall laughed."You just need practice, like we all do.Except you might need a little more than we do."Squall glanced down at his feet, noticing the bag and inside it, a few green stones."What's this?"

Squall picked up the bag and opened it.

"What's what," Zell said looking down."Ahg!No!"

"Ultima stones…X-Potions…Megalixirs…" Squall said, slightly confused."Zell, where did you get these?You couldn't have bought all these on your salary."

"I….uhh…I kind of…sort of…"

"Zell, you didn't _steal_ them, _did you?_" Squall asked.Zell smacked his lips and rolled his eyes.

"Ummm………..define _'steal'_," Zell said.

"As in '_take_ without _asking_'," Squall said.

"……you could say that," Zell mumbled."I just swiped a few when you weren't looking…"

"You stole them from _me_?" Squall asked him incredulously.

"No!I mean, yes.Well, not all of them.I bought a lot of them," Zell explained.He would really have to wriggle himself out of this one."I only stole a few…I just thought we might need some stuff stored up for something like this…I didn't want to tell anybody…"

"What all do you have in this bag…?" Squall asked."You could have told me, Zell."

"I've got everything in this bag._Everything_.I thought we might need it sometime, so I just started gathering up stuff and I put it all in this bag and stuck it in the back of my closet.It's got a lot of potions and stuff in it."

"You didn't have to steal them from me," Squall told him."[sigh]….don't worry about it.We've got to go see the King before we leave to go find the Dwarves.Orlan and Toby might go with us.But, we've got to split up into two groups.It's too dangerous for all of us to be in the same place at once."

"We'd better get goin'," Zell replied, picking up the bag and pulling the drawstring tight and tying it into a knot.He slung the bag over his shoulder and began walking toward the door.Squall followed, looking around the room.

"Your room looks almost identical to mine," Squall observed."Except color."

"Yeah, well…It's a lot better than the dorms, though, eh?" 

"You're right," Squall laughed.

"Made any use o' that bed in yours, yet?" Zell asked, opening the large oak door.

Squall's brow wrinkled in confusion until he finally caught onto what Zell was saying.His face turned an embarrassed scarlet hue.He scratched the back of his head.Zell laughed out loud.

"I was kidding, man!You could touch your ears and burn your fingers, they're so red," Zell said, walking out the door.

"Just don't do anything like that in front of everybody else," Squall ordered."Especially Seifer."

"Shhhtt, man, I wouldn't do _that_ to ya," Zell replied."Seifer'd never let you live it down."

Squall shut the door behind them and they walked down the marbled hall toward the throneroom.Squall bit his lip slightly.

"And I only thought about it once."

Zell could be heard throughout the palace.

"Now, I'm going to give you some of my archers to take with you, should you have need of them," Weslan said from his throne.Orlan sat in his smaller throne, complete with his crown.Fili sat in his own small throne next to Orlan and he had a small crown, too.

"I'm going, too," Orlan said to his father.This spawned a look of protest from both the King and the chancellor.

"I'm afraid not, Orlan," Weslan said."This is far too dangerous for you.You are not experienced enough as either an archer or mage.You will stay here."

"I've already made up my mind," Orlan stated."I _am_ going.And I'm sure I'll be fine."

"Do not do this now, Orlan, in front of guests," Weslan whispered harshly to his son."Not in front of guests.I will not have it."

"I think he'll be fine, Your Majesty," Kildare interjected."He will be with us and part of your army.I'm sure he'll have a lot of protection, should anything happen.Besides, Danda is our only real enemy right now.It's not like _he_ has an army."

"…….hmm…" Weslan looked to Orlan."You _will_ behave yourself, yes?And do everything Squall and the others tell you, _yes_?"

"Yes, Dad," Orlan mumbled.

"Wha' bout me?" Fili piped up.

"Not even, Fili," Orlan said."I can't go risking my new little brother, can I?You stay here and help hold the fort, huh?Practice with your bow and arrow."

"….not fair…"

"We're going to have to split into two groups," Squall said."One to go and find Naomi.Another to go north to see the Dwarf King.I'll head the first group."

"And I'll head the second," Seifer stated.Squall looked at him sharply.

"I'll give you a chance with being _second_ in command," Squall said.

"Second in command to _who_?" Seifer inquired.He didn't like being second-in-command.And he was about to like it even less.

"To Zell."

Zell snickered._He's definitely not gonna be happy about this…_

And he was right.

"To _who?!?_" Seifer exclaimed."You're _kidding me??! _"

"Afraid not," Squall said."You will go and find Naomi in Dollet.And Zell…?"

"Yes, leader-of-mine…?"

"Don't be evil," Squall said.

"……….man…"

"I mean it," Squall said."Kildare, Fujin, Raijin, Irvine—"

"Selphie and I are staying here," Irvine said."We talked about it last night.We're going to help out here."

"Is that alright, Your Majesty, if we stay and help?" Selphie asked, bouncing up and down as usual.

"It is fine with me," Weslan said, flipping his hand."Whatever you wish to do."

"Alright, then," Squall sighed."Kildare, Fujin, Raijin, and Seifer.You're all with Zell.Rinoa, Orlan, Ondine, and Quistis, you're with me."

"You should find the Dwarves to the north in the mountains of Trabia," Weslan stated."But, you'll also find the Goblins up there, as well, in those caves.Be careful and, if possible, try not to get in their way if you should run upon them.They don't like trespassers and they especially don't like Elves.The Dwarves aren't exactly fond of us, either….But, they should not attack you.We've been at peace for years.If you don't see any Goblins, you should be fine."

_He used the word 'should' a lot…_Squall thought to himself.

"I'm taking Toby with me, too," Orlan said.

"Take care of him," Weslan stated."He's one of our best.We can't afford to lose him."

Squall kneeled down for the entire group.

"Thank you for everything," he said.

"Safe journey to you all," Weslan said."God go with you."

The trip out of the forest was relatively quick, seeing that the black chocobos carried them back to the Ragnarok up north.It was a new experience for all of them, flying on chocobos.

"Okay, Quistis….." Quistis comforted herself, arms wrapped firmly around the chocobo's neck."….just don't look down…..don't look down…."

She opened one eye for a peek at the ground.

"Oh, my _God!!!"_ she screamed and shut her eyes, gripping the poor bird's neck harder."I'm going to fall!!!…..deep breaths….this isn't happening…..dream…..all a dream…..you are not sitting on a chocobo six hundred feet in the air……"

"Chill out!" Zell said to her.He was flying right next to her."I like it.Sunny's not going to let you fall."

"….you're sure…?"

"Abso-tively posi-lutely," Zell replied, showing his trademark toothy grin.Quistis slowly let go of Sunny's neck and sat upright in the saddle.She took the reins without opening her eyes.

"I'm going to open my eyes, now…."

"Don't jerk when you open your eyes.Then, you will fall."

Quistis slowly opened her eyes and gasped.

"Feel better?" Zell asked.

"No!" Quistis snapped."I will never be comfortable flying on a chocobo.It's unnatural."

"Suit y'self," Zell said.

Later on, they made it to the Ragnarok without a problem.Landing the chocobos was a fairly easy to do, although there was one crash landing.

"(&*$$!!" Seifer yelled as he fell of the black bird from ten feet in the air.He hit the ground and tumbled to a stop at Squall's feet.He scowled up at his rival."You say _ONE _word, Leonhart, and you and I are gonna have it out right here."

He pushed himself off the ground with one hand and wiped off his coat with the other.This wasn't working, evidently, as he took the gray coat off and shook it hard, cursing angrily as he went.Snow fell out of the inside pockets.

"Stupid damn bird!!" he yelled at it, but the bird only seemed to laugh as it picked at the ground with its feet.

By this time, everyone had gotten inside the Ragnarok and was ready for take off.Seifer pressed the button, damp coat inhand.The door slid open and he stepped inside.

The trip to Dollet was fairly smooth, with no problems along the way.The Dollet group filed out of the red airship and looked back up at the top of the stairs, where Squall stood.

"You guys are on your own until we meet up again," he stated."Be careful, everybody.And you forgot your bag, Zell.I divided the contents between groups.Everything's split fifty-fifty."He tossed the brown backpack underhanded down to Zell, who caught it with a small _thud_."Zell, Seifer, I _mean_ it.No fighting.Zell, you control your temper.Seifer, depending on how good of a report I get from Zell-"

Zell smiled scandalously.Squall was not amused.

"-_and_ Kildare, we'll see about trying to make you a SeeD without the testing._As long_ as I get a good report," Squall said."Find Naomi and do your best to make it back to Balamb Garden to get the book.After you get the book, get out.Tell Nida to make the Garden mobile again.We need to do our best to protect Garden, should anything happen.If we need to find Garden, we'll find it.I know I don't have to tell you this, but I'm saying it, anyway: stay away from Galbadia Garden at all costs.We don't want another Garden War.You weren't in Balamb Garden at the time, Seifer-" Squall opted to leave out the fact that he was the enemy at that time. "-but it was damn well near a slaughter inside our halls.I don't want it happening again.I don't care if Nida has to turn tail and run from Galbadia, _stay away from them._Those are _my_ orders.Good luck."

The door slid shut as Squall turned away from it and started toward the cockpit again.

_Good luck, guys_….._and stay safe_…

They watched in silence as the Ragnarok lifted off and headed northeast.

"Doesn't he just have the leader bit down pat?" Seifer asked, sarcasm foaming from his mouth."So, chickenwuss.Where we look first?"

"What's her last name?"

"I think it was 'Campbell'," Kildare said, pulling a wisp of hair away from her face.

"Well, if she's supposed to live here, I'd think that we could start with the phone book," Zell said and started walking along the side of the paved road.

"_The phone book???!!_" Seifer laughed.He couldn't believe his ears."I don't believe this.And Squall put _you_ in charge…"

"I think it'd be easier to use the phone book, ya know," Raijin stated uneasily, starting to follow Zell."I mean, how many Campbell families can there be?"

"CAR RENTAL," Fujin said and everyone looked at her."SEIFER REMEMBER?"

"What about the car rental place, Fujin?" Seifer asked, his tone suddenly becoming softer.Fujin became impatient easily if you couldn't understand what she was trying to say.

"GIRL, CAR RENTAL," Fujin said."REMEMBER?GIRL WATCHING MOVIE.NECKLACE."

Seifer put his hand to his chin a moment and his eyes opened wide."Hey, there was a girl at the Dollet Rent-a-Car….Maybe that would be a good place to start, instead of the_ phone book_."Seifer cast an annoyed glance at Zell, who was still walking.

"Hey, I was doing the best I could with the information I had," Zell defended himself."……But, you're right.It's better than nothing.To Dollet Rent-a-Car."

"So, what do we do when we find her, ya know?" Raijin asked.He was a big guy, but he wasn't all that intelligent.

"We snatch her," Seifer replied."If we have to."

"They wouldn't believe us, even if we did tell them what was going on," Zell said, sticking his hands in his pockets and looking at the ground."It's not like we _can_ tell them what's going on, anyway.I guess that would be the best course of action, Seifer."

"Of course it is," Seifer stated, slinging his gunblade up onto his shoulder while he walked."Because I thought of it."

"Hey, I'm not a leader, okay?" Zell declared."I'm not a genius and I'm not used to responsibility like this.I don't know why Squall put me in this position, but—"

"He put you in the position because he doesn't trust _me_, chickenwuss," Seifer said smartly, finally catching up with Zell and walking beside him.The sun to their left cast an orange hue on their faces while they strode down the cracked concrete road to the town of Dollet.Raijin and Fujin stayed strangely far to their rear.His demeanor softened as he walked forward, looking off to the side of the road."It's not like I blame him for it, though.Or you, for that matter….

"I never did have any love for him and I'm not claiming that I do now, I just……things are different, now, than they were last year," he mused, his glance tending to turn to the weeds poking through the concrete."I was…..wrong, last year.I did a lot of things that I'd give anything to take back.The lives lost in the Garden War….."

Seifer reached up and touched the long scar that ran down the middle of his forehead and down under his right eye."And this scar.It's my own fault it's there.Everytime I look in the mirror, it reminds me of how stupid I was.Everytime I see it on Squall, it reminds me of how stupid I was.I put one just like it on him that day when we were training," he continued, like the other blond wasn't walking there beside him.He didn't even realize he was still there, listening."…..I didn't really _mean_ to do it…It was like I was in a trance.Like a battle mode that I couldn't shut off.Like an internal switch was broken and there wasn't an emergency break.That's what I felt like all that time when I was under…._her_ _control_…"

"Look, Seifer……" Zell replied, still looking at the ground.He sighed."I'm not trying to make friends, here, okay?And I know for a fact you're not, either.Let's just forgive and forget the mess that happened last year. I'm tired of worrying about it.Let's just get through all this and we'll leave each other alone."

"………deal."

I know this is _way_ late, but I had a lot of family problems last month and this month and couldn't get anything done.If anybody wants to know, I hang out two places:my messageboard, [http://ap1.ezboard.com/bfirecavern][1] and Darren's board, [http://pub39.ezboard.com/bdarrensplace][2] Anybody's welcome at my board, as long as you post on good terms.

This chapter probably has a lot of holes in it and mess ups, so don't hesitate to let me know about them.My brain is basically made of fuzz right now since school started back and we got a new president.The new president's causing it more than anything.

   [1]: http://ap1.ezboard.com/bfirecavern
   [2]: http://pub39.ezboard.com/bdarrensplace



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